Clear Cast Resin

Why Choose Clear Cast Resin?

Clear Cast Resin is an accessible solution for directly printing casting patterns in house.

Accessible pattern production in-house

Clear Cast Resin on Formlabs SLA printers enables direct production of casting patterns in-house which reduces costs, decreases turnaround times, and improves flexibility in iterating and production.

Low Thermal Expansion

Best in class thermal expansion for reliable casting shells with minimal cracking.

Clean Burnout

Clear Cast Resin achieves a clean burnout with low ash and no trace metals, leaving nothing to contaminate the final cast part. Clear Cast Resin is fully antimony free.

Accurate and Versatile

Create accurate patterns within 0.25 mm of the design. Compatible with any metal or shelling system, allowing foundries to cast new designs in record time.

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Workflow for 3D Printing Investment Casting Patterns

3D printed patterns can be used to directly replace the molded wax patterns typically used for investment casting allowing for complex geometries, and faster iterations without dedicated tooling. The process for creating a 3D printed pattern is typically:

Shell, lattice, and add drain holes to the part with a tool like Materialise Magics or Formware
Orient, support, and slice the pattern in PreForm
Print the pattern
Wash, post-cure, and remove supports
Plug any drain holes with wax or cure a small amount of Clear Cast Resin over the hole
Attach the pattern to a casting tree and proceed with the rest of the casting process

Download the White Paper

Mechanical and Burnout Properties

Tech Specs

Ultimate Tensile Strength

65 MPa

Tensile Modulus

2.8 GPa

Flexural Modulus

2.2 GPa

Thermal Expansion, -30-140°C

94.8 μm/m/°C

Ash Content

<0.20%

Antimony

<10 ppm

Detected Transition Metals (>10 ppm)

Al, Cu

High Concentration Transition Metals (>50 ppm)

None

Download the Clear Cast Resin Technical Data SheetRead the Investment Casting White Paper

Post-Processing

Form Wash (2nd Generation) Settings

Duration

10 min + 5 min in IPA

Notes

Wash the part in Form Wash L in IPA for 10 minutes, blow out the interior with compressed air, and then an additional wash of 5 minutes. Wipe down any additional resin using a paper towel and IPA. Allow the part to air dry for 30 minutes or dry the remaining IPA off of the surface with compressed air. It is critical to remove all trapped IPA, as any remaining liquid can cause vapor in burnout and lead to shell cracking.

Form Cure (2nd Generation) Settings

Duration

5 min

Temperature

60 °C

Notes

Because curing reinforces the stiffness of the part, it is easier to remove the supports before. However, removing the supports after curing can prevent breaking the part, especially for fragile geometries. If the part is prone to warpage, use a post-curing schedule with no heat.