Introduction

Once your build is washed and dry, it needs to fully cure in order to achieve the expected physical properties. When curing, the following is recommended:

• Cure the part while it is still attached to the support and build plate. This will limit distortion that can be caused during curing.
• Avoid positioning parts in ways that lead to uneven exposure from different sides. This can lead to higher shrinkage on one side of the part which will warp the part in one direction.
• Follow the guidelines shown below, but keep in mind that you may need to increase or decrease the cure time depending on the part geometry. Lower cure times with thin walled parts (<4mm). Increase cure times or use thermal curing for very thick parts. 
• Validation testing is required for specific applications

As far as equipment goes, below are some options on cure solutions you can use. In addition to a curing station, some resins require an oven to bake at an even higher temperature in order to achieve their desired physical properties. If you are unsure if you will require an oven, check the curing guidelines below for the resins you intend to use. If you see info under the Baking Instructions column, you will need an oven. 

HERE is a summary of wash and cure time recommendations. 

Equipment & Curing Guidelines

xCURE

xCURE is our curing station built with ease of use and NXE400/NXD200 printer compatibility in mind. It utilizes wavelengths ranging from 365-405nm with intensities as high as 25mW/cm2, and can thermally cure up to 60C as well. The guidance cure times below are based off this equipment and have been validated to achieve the advertised mechanical properties on 4mm test parts. This is the best solution for a validated workflow. 

Oven

As mentioned before, this is only necessary for specific resins. We recommend a convection oven programmable from 50-200°C and ramps up/down in temperature at about 1.5°C/min, such as the Yamato DKN402C

Updated August 19, 2024 22:36