AmeraLabs SiOmaster Grey resin was developed for professionals utilizing spin casting and SiOCAST injection molding machines. SiOmaster resin allows you to 3D print master models that can withstand a high-temperature silicone rubber vulcanization process up to 180°C multiple times without breaking or deforming. This enables companies to reuse their master models multiple times to produce several molds.
Benefits
- Withstands vulcanization up to 180° C
- Low shrinkage
- Excellent details
- Easy to remove supports and sand
- Dimensionally accurate
- Compatible with most LCD and DLP resin 3D printers
Printing Tips
- Level your build plate.
- If it’s your first print with this resin, print something small first.
- Find initial printing settings here: AmeraLabs resin settings.
- Use support column thickness of 1.5-2mm, support tip thickness of 0.2-0.6mm.
- Use attachment layer.
- Hollow your models.
- Use slower lift speeds. 5mm/min for bottom layers, 40-60mm/min for normal layers.
Vulcanizing Tips
Follow the silicone manufacturer’s instructions for the correct vulcanization times and temperatures. Also, de-gas the molds according to the silicone manufacturer’s guidelines. Use a releasing agent to prevent the masters from sticking to the silicone rubber. Finally, regularly check the parallelism of your vulcanisation machine and mold frames.
Printer Compatibility
This resin is compatible with most LCD and DLP resin 3D printers equipped with light sources emitting 385-420nm UV light. It is compatible with both colour and monochrome LCD 3D printers.
We have recommended 3D printing settings for many 3D printers here: AmeraLabs resin settings.
Silicone Compatibility
SiOmaster resin works perfectly with SiOmold silicones from SiOCAST.
We have also tried several other silicones from different manufacturers and had no issues with any of them.
We were able to make molds with silicones vulcanized at temperatures ranging from 90° to 180° C.
Cleaning Procedure
This 3D material should not be left submerged in solvents for extended periods of time. By all means, do not leave the material submerged in IPA or any other liquid for more than 40 minutes. Doing so might ruin your models and affect the final properties of the polymer material.
If you use Phrozen Wash and Phrozen Cure, leave the printed object submerged in IPA for approx. 12 minutes. Depending on the results, you can repeat this step again and leave for additional 6 minutes.
If you prefer cleaning with ordinary IPA baths, this is our easy four-step cleaning procedure:
- After taking your printed object off the build plate, leave it submerged in the IPA bath for 10 minutes.
- Swirl the IPA bath with our part in it actively for another one minute.
- After swirling, leave it undisturbed, but fully submerged for another 10 minutes. At this point, it would be wise to change the IPA to a clean one.
- Finally, swirl the bath actively again for one minute.
- Evaluate the cleaning results and repeat this procedure only once (if needed).
If you prefer cleaning with an ultrasonic cleaner, we recommend placing a printed part into the container with IPA, closing it well, and putting the container into the ultrasonic cleaner filled with water. Leave it for no more than 10 minutes. No additional heating is necessary.
Support Removal
With a proper support strategy, support removal is easy. Use a high density of supports with 0.2 – 0.6 mm tips. Since printed models are a bit soft before post-curing, you will be able to peel off your supports easily.
A few more tips:
- It’s easier to remove supports right after cleaning and before post-curing.
- However, some complicated models might warp a little bit during post-curing. Thus, in some cases, you might want to remove supports after post-curing. Supports will keep your model in place and won’t let it deform.
- If you have used thicker supports and it is difficult to remove supports, use a heat gun or a bath of hot water to heat up your print. This will make supports softer and easier to remove.
Post-Curing Procedure
Post-curing time depends on your curing station. It can vary from five minutes to one hour (until the surface of your 3D print becomes non-sticky). You should post-cure immediately after cleaning and drying. After proper post-curing, the surface of SiOmaster printed resin models should be completely non-sticky and hard to scratch.
Models that are post-cured longer will be stiffer and have lower flexibility. So if you find that some of your 3D printed masters bend during vulcanization, try post-curing the 3D printed models longer. This will make them stiffer and help with maintaining accurate geometries.
On the other hand, models that were post-cured for a very long time will handle fewer vulcanization cycles before breaking.
