Experiment: 3D Print Waterproofing
One of the main drawbacks for *Rapid Prototyping* (RPing) submersibles is the difficulty of creating a waterproof container easily mountable on a submersible. 3D printing, a main tool of RPing, is not waterproof; water can fit between the strands of filament, rendering the piece an ineffective water barrier. A welcome solution to this issue would be the ability to waterproof seal a 3D print such that water could not penetrate the part. The following is an experiment to test two different ways to waterproof 3D prints.
- 3D print three identical cylinders using nominal settings on the Stratasys printer (documentation)
- Cylinder Dimensions: 1.5 in. diameter X 1 in. height
- Stratasys Settings:
- Layer Resolution: 0.0130
- Model Interior: Sparse -- Low Density
- Material: P430-BLU
- Use 1st cylinder as control
- Rub acetone on 2nd cylinder on all sides to melt top layer of print and fuse plastic together
- Coat 3rd cylinder on all sides in epoxy to fully seal the print
- Epoxy: West System 105 & 209
- Record starting weight of 3 cylinders
- Submerge all 3 cylinders at the bottom of LPB pool (approx. 4 feet deep) for 24 hours
- Remove cylinders, dry off, and record ending weights
- Place cylinders in vacuum chamber at 40 psi and record visual observations
| State | Control Cylinder | Acetone Cylinder | Epoxied Cylinder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Print | 11.5 g | 11.5 g | 11.5 g |
| Application of Waterproofing | 11.5 g | 11.5 g | 13.5 g |
| After Submersion | 13.3 g | 11.5 g | 13.6 g |
After a submersion period of 24 hours, the control cylinder had gained slightly under 2 grams. Meanwhile, the epoxied cylinder gained a tenth of a gram, and the acetone cylinder remained a constant mass. Observation in the vacuum chamber showed the control cylinder to offgas water, but the other two cylinders did not change noticeably.
- Instructable: Using Wax to Waterproof 3D-Prints (link)
- 3D Systems Article: AUV uses 3D Printed Parts (link)
Connor Novak last edited on 17/07/13