Reloading EverythingRotoMetals2RepackboxLee Precision
WidenersMidSouth Shooters SupplyTitan ReloadingLoad Data
Inline Fabrication
Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 61 to 80 of 96

Thread: 3D Printed 22 Caliber Pellet Mold

  1. #61
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    3D Printed Single Cavity 9MM and 45 Caliber Bullet Molds Cast-4

    In this video, I'm up to my fourth cast with each individual bullet mold. As to be expected, the first few bullets cast out of each individual mold were nothing to write home about.

    This was followed up with repeated casts with each individual mold.

    I have not been getting the repeatable crisp clean frosty surface definition that I was getting with my previous batch of 3D printed bullet molds.

    I believe this is because of the added time it takes to first pull the alignment and hollow pointing pins out their place before I can extract the cast bullets. This is followed by having to reassemble the molds before the next cast.

    I thought that by making repeat casts as quickly as I could out of each individual bullet mold I'd be able to raise the temperature of the molds themselves which in theory, should have helped increase the surface definition of the cast bullets.

    It was difficult to get a good work flow going to facilitate the warming of the molds themselves. You'll see in the video when it gets past the midway point.

    If I went to fast, I'd get the same kind of edge damage at the mouths of the mold cavity that I got with my previous batch of bullet molds. And, if I went to Slow, I'd get inconsistent definition in the bullet surfaces.

    I was thinking of modeling some integral slots on each mold half so as to be able to use some standard bullet of mold handles to open and close the molds. I'm reluctant to do that just yet because this would mean that I'd have to re-incorporate some alignment divots onto the inside faces of my mold halves again.

    If I do that I won't be able to flatten those inside faces to get a nice tight inside surface to surface mating. I may do that after I've ironed out the two latest bugs I've encountered.

    On a bright note: as of this writing, solutions to the problems encountered in this casting session have been worked out.

    With my next batch of 3D printed single cavity bullet molds I believe I will have fixed what needed fixing in terms of 3D print accuracy and the negative effects of casting too slow or too fast.

    I'm hoping that with my next batch of 3D printed bullet molds it will be like the grand finale.

    For the time being though, I have a couple more short video clips to edit for uploading.

    Those additional video clips will be coming on the heels of this present video. I hope you can stick around a bit longer.

    https://youtu.be/Wgoz__ncL3c

    HollowPoint

  2. #62
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Problems Fixed and Problems Discovered

    I'm nearing the end of all my video editing for this latest batch of 3D printed bullet molds.

    I Wasn't sure If I should post this entire video or not because to me it just seemed monotonous at this point.

    For most of this latest video it seems like it's just me doing the same thing over and over again.

    I've went ahead and uploaded this slightly longer video because, although it may come off as monotonous it covers both the good and the bad. It touches on the successful fixes that I've made and those areas that still need fixing.

    I don't want it to seem like I'm just blowing sunshine up your butts by posting only the successes. These are trial and error experiments. There's going to be ups and downs.

    The good news is that with each new batch of 3D printed bullet molds I've printed up, I've gotten closer and closer to getting the kinds of bullet molds I envisioned when I first decided to undertake this project.

    I'm more confident now than I ever was that by adding a specific amount of additional porcelain powder to the factory formulation of the Siraya Tech Ultra While Resin I can increase it's heat resistance enough to allow me to cast lead bullets.

    I'm also more confident than ever that I can cast more than just one or two or three or four bullets with these 3D printed molds before they are damaged to the point of uselessness.

    A couple of the fixes I'll have to do with the upcoming new batch of molds is to model a slight curve or fillet at the top edges of my mold cavities.

    In their present configuration, I have the same type of thin frail edge along the circumference at the mouth of the mold cavities. By adding that fillet, it should strengthen that top edge.

    This will also have the effect of making the cast bullets come out of the molds with a slight flare at the base but, this slight flare can be easily ironed out when I run my cast bullets through the sizing die.

    Running my cast bullets through a bullet sizing die is something I do anyway so I don't see the addition of that fillet as a
    detriment of any kind. I just wish I'd thought of it sooner.

    Another fix I have to address has to do with the hollow pointing stems. I'll have to make up some more anyway so while I'm at it I'll be tapering the tips of those new stems so as to make it easier to extract them from the cast bullets.

    I'll be back when I get farther along. Many thanks to those of you who have stuck around for this long.

    https://youtu.be/oi73yHKKyQI

  3. #63
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    3D Printed 9MM And 45 Cal Bullet Molds-Last Video On This Batch Of Molds

    This will be the last video pertaining to this particular batch of prototype 3D printed bullet molds.

    I'm afraid that this video is also one of those dizzying shaky-camera-closeups kind of video. It might be advisable to have your Dramamine tablets ready.

    Also: as I ramble on in this video I've superimposed some text that correct and/or explain what I'm trying to say in certain parts of the video.When you see the text scroll across the screen, please take the time to pause the video to give yourself a chance to read the text. If you don't, I may come off sounding like I'm contradicting myself.

    I HAD prepared some computer renderings of the latest modifications I'd made to the next batch of bullet molds but, I seemed to have lost those files in the digital vortex of my cheap little Windows-7 laptop computer. I couldn't find them.

    I'll have to keep looking for them. If I'm not able to find those files I'll have to re-do them. Either way, I'll post them before I upload the video updates of my next (and hopefully the last) casting session with the upcoming batch of 3D printed bullet molds.

    Also; I'll be printing out four more single cavity bullet molds; two 9MMs and two 45 Caliber molds.

    Two out of the Four bullet molds will have a slightly different look to the outside walls and the other two will be basically the same as those printed in the previous batch of molds; with the exception of some slight tweaks I've made to their cavity-mouth edge geometry.

    Originally I thought about modeling my bullet molds with an outside slot on each mold-half to accommodate some standard scissoring mold handles. I decided against it because it would have meant that I'd have to reintroduce the alignment divots that I had previously modeled onto the inside faces of my mold halves.

    With the alignment divots in place I wouldn't have been able to manually sand those inside faces perfectly flat in order to mitigate the damage I encountered along the inside edges of the mold cavities as shown in my previous video casting sessions.

    At the suggestion of a couple of different folks that have been following the progress of this project, I decided to model in those slots to accommodate some standard mold handles after all.

    This means that I'll have to separately fabricate some kind of alignment pins. I'm hoping that doing so will help me to stream line my casting work-flow rather than fumbling with those tiny metal-rod alignment-pins. Whether it will work out that way or not is yet to be seen.

    At this point I'd like to ask for a rhetorical show of hands.

    Up until you came across this 3D printed bullet mold project, how many of you had heard of anyone who actually 3D resin printed some bullet molds and then proceeded to cast bullets out of molten lead with them?

    I ask because, if there is or was such a person I sure wish I'd known about them before I undertook this project. I would have like to have learned from their mistakes rather than having to learn from all of the mistakes I've made thus far. It sure would have simplified things for me.

    I'll be back when I get farther along with that next batch of 3D printed bullet molds.

    Thanks again for sticking around.

    https://youtu.be/tBhyJ6y27nE

  4. #64
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Digital Renderings Of My Latest Mold Mods

    Here are a couple of Screen-Shots of the new changes I've made to my next batch of 3D printed single cavity bullet molds.

    As pictured in my Slicer Software, the tweaks I've made to both the 9MM and the 45 caliber mold are identical. In addition, I've changed my 9MM bullet model from the previous "Lube-Groove" type to a more conducive to this application, "Powder-Coat" design bullet.

    I've increased the diameters of each of the bullet mold cavities by just enough to give me some finished cast bullets that I can then size down to the exact diameter I need for powder coating.

    I've also included a CAD Rendering of how they look right out of the printer. Bare in mind that this is a computer rendering and not the real thing.

    The latest batch of molds have now been printed, cleaned and cured and they do look almost exactly like they do in the rendering. The only difference is the shade of white they actually are; compared to the shade of white in the computer rendering.

    I still have to fabricate the newer shorter Alignment-Pins and the newer Tapered-Hollow-Pointing pins. Those pictured in the rendering are there just to give you a visual example of how I plan on configuring them.

    Since I finished printing this latest batch of molds sooner than I had anticipated, that gave me the time to re-print a newer version of my Fishing-Hook-Weight mold as well. I had to tweak the angles of the hook slots on that mold design to get the hooks to just drop right in without me having to fiddle around to get them into place. Hopefully I got those angles right this time around.

    I'll be sanding the inside faces of my newly printed molds as flat as I can by the stated .01"-of-an-inch tomorrow while my Fishing-Hook-Weight mold is printing. That will be followed by the Metal-Lathe work I'll need to do to form those Alignment and Hollow-Pointing pins.

    If all goes according to plan I should be ready to do my last casting session later this coming week.

    I'll be back.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 9MMTweaks.jpg   PC45HandleSlots.jpg   45PCexample.JPG  
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-24-2021 at 11:00 PM.

  5. #65
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Didn't Go According To Plans

    I had planned on casting with my new batch of prototype 3D printed bullet molds today but I discovered that I'd made a horrible dimensional error. Yesterday, before I started sanding the inside faces of my molds as flat I could get them; to bring them down to the correct dimensions, I discovered that I had somehow totally screwed up the dimensions of my 9MM bullet mold cavities from front to back in the "Y-Axis." I mean; that dimension was WaaaaaaaaaY off.

    Before doing any sanding; looking down into the bullet cavity with the two mold halves pressed tightly together, the cavity had the shape of a football. It was actually supposed to be this way but not to the extent that it was. This is why I really didn't think much about it when I took those prints out of the printer.

    The dimension from side to side at the seam line came out just as I had intended them to but I'd mistakenly added an additional .014" from front to back in the "Y-Axis," on top of the .014" that I had previously adjusted for in my measurements. I could have sanded down the inside faces of my mold halves until they were the right dimension front to back in the "Y-Axis" but, that would have shrunk down the side to side dimension in the "X-Axis" and I still would have been left with an oblong bullet.

    So; last night I made the needed dimensional corrections and today I waited the three hours for my corrected 9MM bullet mold to print. This time around it came out the way it was supposed to have come out with the previous print. I spent the better part of today prepping that last bullet mold for tomorrow's casting session.

    The 45 caliber bullet molds printed out real well and my dimensions all seemed to fall in line with what I needed them to be. It's those 9MM 3D printed bullet molds that have given me setback after setback. I think it's a combination of me being in to much of a darn hurry all the time and me over-thinking the process.

    I think I've got it under control now so it's on to the casting session. Each time I've printed another batch of these bullet mold prototypes I've discovered ways that I could have gone about it differently that would have made things a bit easier or faster; or more accurate. This time was no different.

    I'll use what I've learned from this present print session to perfect my final 3D printed bullet molds. Those will be the molds I use to test my own bullet designs.

    For now, I have a couple of out of round Guinea-Pig 9MM 3D printed prototype bullet molds that I can deliberately torture-test just to see how much abuse they can take by pre-heating them as hot as I dare and then casting with them to see if they can give me the kind of surface definition that my metal bullet molds give me.

    I'm back on track now with two newly 3D printed 45 caliber Powder-Coat-design hollow pointed bullet molds and one good 9MM hollow pointed bullet mold. I'll start the show with the two wonky Guinea-Pig molds that I managed to mess up dimensionally and move forward from there.

    I'll be back as I get farther along.

    HollowPoint

  6. #66
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    I Got 33 Good Bullets Out of 43 Cast

    I finally got my dimensions right; although, I think I can increase the diameter of both the 9MM and the 45 caliber mold cavities by a couple of thousands more and they'll come out of the mold as close to perfect as I can get them. (for now)

    I cast four separate bullets out of the two oblong or out-of-round 9MM 3D printed molds that I'd messed up the dimensions on before. In hindsight, I'm kind of glad it worked out that way because by using them as torture-test Guinea-Pigs I was able to successfully confirm the pre-heating method I had hoped I could get to work for me.

    I intended to cast fifteen bullets out of each mold as quickly as I could just to see how much the thermal-shock would affect them with each successive cast. I learned a couple more valuable lessons that I can use the next time I 3D print and then cast with these types of resin printed bullet molds.

    Starting with my latest dimensionally corrected 9MM bullet mold, I really thought I had cast fifteen bullets but, somewhere between camera changes and incoming phone calls I lost count and I ended up only casting 14 bullets instead. I got 12 good shoot-able bullets out of that 3D printed prototype. This time when I say, "Good/Shoot-able Bullets," what I mean is that I can run them through my sizing die, powder coat them, reload them and shoot them. Good bullets.

    With the two 45 caliber bullet molds I succeeded in casting fifteen bullets out of each. The latest dimensionally corrected flat-sided 3D printed 45 caliber bullet mold yielded 9 good/shoot-able bullets. The other 6 bullets cast from this mold came out with bad bases or slightly bad hollow point mouths. They were culled for that reason.

    With the 45 caliber mold that I had added the mold-handle slots to, I got 12 out of 15 Good Usable/Shoot-able bullets.

    So, this time around I got a total of 33 Good/Shoot-able bullets.

    My latest 9MM prototype mold started showing signs of damage as I closed in on the ninth or tenth cast. Even though it started showing signs of the same kind of thermal-shock damage as all of the previous 9MM molds I'd printed, the difference was in how many more bullets I was able to cast before that damage developed.

    For reasons that I can't explain, both of the latest 45 caliber prototype bullets molds held up better than the 9MM molds. With one of those 45 Cal molds I started seeing a very faint hairline crack in the cavity wall of one half of that mold when I got to about the 11th or 12th bullet that I cast out of it. Other than the slightest tint of yellowing, the bullet cavity in the other half of that same mold looked pristine.

    The second 45 caliber prototype mold; the one that I had added the mold handle slots to; it basically looked none the worse for wear other than the expected yellowish tint that develops from being subjected to the heat of the molten lead hitting it.

    I have alot more video editing to do in the next few days. I'll also follow that up with my final thoughts on this project. I hope to include in those final thoughts, the most recent procedures I had to use to go from only being able to cast one or two bad bullets before these prototype bullet molds became unusable, to now being able to cast 15-plus good usable bullets.

    I have no doubt now that if I apply what I've learned from this latest 3D print and casting session I can increase that bullet cast count some more. How much more? I really don't know at this point. This is the first time I've ever done anything like this. To the best of my knowledge, it may be the first time anyone has done anything like this.
    I mean, bullet casting with 3D printed bullet molds.

    I'll be back when I've gotten farther along with the video editing.

    HollowPoint

  7. #67
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Starting To Get Good Bullets-Still Room For Improvement

    I hope you can forgive the annoying sniffling runny nose sound effects I unconsciously interjected into the audio of this video. I woke up with a particularly runny nose on the morning that I video recorded this casting session.

    This video starts out with the introduction to some of the mods I've done to this
    latest batch of 3D printed single cavity bullet molds.

    I've discovered after the fact that some of these mods were totally unnecessary; while others like the added curvature to the cavity mouths of the bullet molds actually eliminated the cracking that was taking place with my previous prototype molds when those same cavity mouths were thin and frail.

    Another helpful mod was in replacing the long alignment pins I was fumbling with each time I went to open or close the molds.

    I replaced those long cumbersome alignment pins with short alignment divots that I pressed into one half of my mold blocks. Those alignment divots corresponded with the alignment holes in the opposite half of the same mold. The ease of opening and closing my prototype molds was now like a night and day difference.

    The Preheating of my molds before casting also helped tremendously with getting decent bullets beginning with the first cast.

    Previously I had to do several casts before the mold temperatures got high enough to produce good fill out and good surface definition. Even then, because of all the fumbling around I was doing to open and close the molds, it would allow those molds to cool off to quickly.

    I also discovered that by placing the extended Mold-Pliers-Slots where I had on either side of the newer mold halves, it was causing an uneven pressure when I applied the tight grip needed to bring the two mold halves tightly together.

    Because I'd placed those Mold-Pliers-Slots as close to the mold's center of mass, I found that when I crimped down on the pliers they tended to cause a gap between the two mold halves at the top part of the mold.

    I should have placed those Mold-Pliers-Slots where they would have corresponded to the center of the bullet mold cavity instead. Unfortunately, placing the Mold-Pliers-Slots in the center of the bullet mold cavities would have been almost impossible due to the short stature of the mold itself in relation to where the bullet cavity was positioned within the mold.

    In this video you'll hear me wonder out loud what could be causing this gap between the two mold halves. It was that poor placement choice of the Mold-Pliers-Slot that was the cause of this gap.

    On a bright note of sheer dumb-luck, even with the gap between the two molds halves I was getting good usable bullets.

    In the video clips that follow this particular video update I'll be able to show you what I've attempted to describe here.

    I noticed that I've tended to over-think alot of the mods I've done during the evolution of this project. Only in hindsight have I realized that if I'd kept it as simple as possible things would have progressed a whole lot smoother.

    If I'd not been in such a hurry to turn my hollow pointing pins on the lathe as quickly as I could, they would have fit a bit more securely. As it was, a couple of them tended to slip out of place if I didn't support them from the underside.

    I have to keep reminding myself that these are just 3D printed prototype molds and all of these trial and error obstacles come with the territory.

    In spite of all the self induced setbacks and obstacles, the video updates that I have coming after this one will start showing some of the successes.

    This time around I got 33 good usable cast lead bullets out of 43 cast attempts. A couple of months ago when I first attempted to cast molten lead bullets out of my 3D printed bullet molds I only got two bullets before the molds were ruined; and those two bullets looked like crap.

    Things are looking up. Things are evolving for the better with these 3D printed single cavity bullet molds. I hope you'll stick around for the grand finale.

    https://youtu.be/SMUNW7NylN
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-29-2021 at 08:57 PM.

  8. #68
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Dimensionally Corrected 3D Printed 9MM bullet Mold

    I'm afraid that after about the third or fourth of these 3D printed Single Cavity Bullet Mold casting sessions my video updates all tend to appear to be the same as the previous videos.

    I think the word I'm looking for here is, "Monotonous."

    This is due to the fact that the positive strides I've made have been slow in coming and incrementally small improvements.

    As you'll see in this video, I start to have some good success with my work flow but it's comes only in spurts. Loose fitting gloves, Loose fitting hollow pointing pins, Low camera memory; among other distractions, all tend to add up to the fact that these videos all look the same.

    Trial and error involves alot of repetition. In my case, sometimes it involves alot of cussing too.

    I hope you all will pardon the few slips of the tongue in this video. As the viewers of such a video I can understand that some my take offense.

    When ever a foul word slips out of my mouth, to me it's just a stress-management technique that I've perfected over the years.

    I'm using the video editing software that came with my OLD Windows-7 Laptop. I haven't figured out how to bleep out any offensive words that I happen to spew as I'm speaking during this video. I'm not even sure if it's possible to bleep out foul language with this rudimentary video editing software.

    Near the tail end of this video update my camera automatically shut off because it had run critically low on memory. This meant that I had been casting off camera with the dimensionally corrected 9MM bullet mold and I didn't even know the camera had shut off.

    It's a good thing no one dropped by while my camera was off. They would have caught me talking to some invisible audience about what I was doing.

    Although my lack-luster camera work and camera presence would seem to indicate otherwise, I got some good usable cast bullets out of this 3D printed 9MM bullet mold this time around.

    There are still some improvements I intend to make. As I mentioned before, I can increase the diameter of my bullet mold cavities by a couple more thousand of an inch in order to get a large enough finished diameter out of my cast bullets to be able to size them down to a perfectly cylindrical bullet shape.

    Also; I mentioned in the video that the actual printed Layer-Lines of the 3D printed molds were becoming slightly more visible as I reached the 11th or 12th cast.

    There is a mathematical equation in the 3D resin printing world that will help you calculate the optimum angle at which to place a flat sided model on the printer's build plate. This optimum angle is said to produce the smoothest, flattest surface finish possible for a given 3D resin printer.

    In my mind's eye, and at a microscopic level, the cause of the eventual yellowing and cracking horizontal striations that my mold cavities are displaying may very well be initiated by the molten lead acting on those Print-Layer-Lines developed during the printing process. It spreads from there to affect the entire wall of the mold cavities.

    By using the mathematical equation in question to get smoother printed surface finishes, (in theory) it's possible that this could help solve the premature yellowing and cracking of my cavity walls.

    What exactly is this mathematical equation?

    "Arctan (Layer Height/Screen Resolution)= Angle in degrees."

    Have you ever heard of this equation?

    In the case of my particular 3D resin printer this equation would read as follows:
    Arctan(.05/.047)= 46.770 or there abouts

    And, after I account for a 90 degree correction on the bottom face of my mold models, the actual optimal calculated orientation angle to place my models onto my build plate would be 43.224 degrees.

    I know that sounds confusing. I suck at math so it's taken me four days to get this equation to make any sense to me.

    I'll be trying it out with my next bullet mold prints to see if it actually makes any difference.

    I have enough resin left for another batch or two of bullet molds. Slowly but surely I'm closing in on the exact dimensions and procedure to get my 3D Printed Bullet Molds to work for more than just a hand full of casts.

    https://youtu.be/W7Vu_eSWjPU
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-30-2021 at 02:21 PM.

  9. #69
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    The Future In The Palm Of My Hand

    I don't believe for a minute that there will ever be a time when machining and machinist will no longer be at or near the top of human progress. At least not in my life time.

    However, I can see how other technologies will begin or continue to make in-roads into the domain of what machining had previously been at the forefront of.

    The photo I've uploaded here is just a miniscule preview of what I'm alluding to. I'm neither a machinist nor and engineer of any kind. I'm just a chronic do-it-yourselfer with more ideas than I have time to experiment with.

    Before you look at the photo I want to ask you; Is it possible that I'm holding the future in the palm of my hand?
    That's not a rhetorical question. I really want to know.

    Back when I first started hearing about 3D printing, one of the things I remember reading over and over again from different sources was, "3D printing is destined to become a Disruptive-Technology."

    I didn't know exactly what that meant at the time but I'm starting to get the picture.

    So, here are the first few good Usable/Shootable cast lead bullets I've been able to cast out of my 3D printed single cavity bullet molds.

    What do you think?

    Yet to come, I still have more video editing and uploading to do that will bare witness to being able to cast bullets using 3D printed bullet molds. I just wanted to give you a sneak-peak of the finished product.

    HollowPoint
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails TheFuture copy.jpg  
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 10-31-2021 at 12:36 AM.

  10. #70
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    3D Printed Single Cavity 45 Caliber Dimensionally Corrected Bullet Mold

    This is the last of the bullet casting that was done with my most recent 3D Printed Single Cavity 45 Caliber bullet molds.

    More camera problems and memory shortages kept me from video recording every single cast with each of the two latest dimensionally corrected 45 Caliber bullet molds.

    I was able to capture enough video footage to prove that we can indeed cast bullets out of 3D printed Bullet Molds; provided that specific protocols are adhered to.

    The Siraya Tech Ultra White High Heat Resistant print resin that I mixed additional Porcelain powder into REALLY DID seemed to be up to the task for this application. I just had to figure out the best way to go about printing it and casting with it.

    To be sure, there will be more tweaks to my printing procedure and to my casting procedure in order to increase the durability of the molds so as to be able to cast more than just fifteen bullets before the extreme heat of the molten lead takes it's toll on
    the bullet molds.

    I'm at a place now where I can state with complete confidence that the concept has now been proven. We really can cast bullets out of 3D printed bullet molds using molten lead as our casting medium. What's left to do now is to continue to increase the durability of the 3D printed molds.

    My next batch of 3D printed bullet molds will be printed using the print calculations I alluded to in my previous post. I'm hoping that those print calculations will help me to mitigate even the faintest Printed Layer-Lines that I have been getting in my finished prints up to now.

    Also; I am in the process of coming up with a way of keeping thoroughly mixed throughout the print process, the additional Porcelain Powder I've added to the factory formulation of the Siraya Tech resin.

    This is no easy task but, I believe that it's the next phase in optimizing the heat resistance of this particular resin.

    With each 3D print session, I've been left with a fair amount of residual Porcelain Powder that ends up unused at the bottom of my resin vat.

    This tells me that if I can get a more thorough and continuous mix of the resin from the beginning to the end of the print process, it should enhance even further, the heat resistance of the Siraya Tech Ultra White Resin; and by extension, it should prolong the
    life of the 3D printed bullet molds.

    I'll be uploading one last video to close out this present 3D Printed bullet mold Casting Session using this latest batch of bullet molds.

    In this last uploaded video I will include some closeup photos of the bullets as they came out of the mold; followed by some measurements and some bullet weights; as well as some before-and-after sizing and powder coating.

    I have also had a request for a screenshot of my Slicer Software's print settings for the Siraya Tech Resin I've been working with.

    Stay tuned. I hope that you'll find it informative.

    https://youtu.be/0tgzM9nalJA

  11. #71
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    3D Printed 45 And 9MM Bullet Molds--Final Results For This Batch

    This is the final video for this latest batch of 3D printed single cavity bullet
    molds.

    I hope that my explanations and closeup photo/video-presentation will give you all a good idea of what I've been working with in terms of printing and then casting with these 3D printed molds.

    It is my plan to print some further upgraded or improved molds until I again run out of resin. After that I'll have to start saving up my nickles and dimes to buy another bottle.

    Hopefully the next bottle of Siraya Tech Ultra White Resin will be the last bottle dedicated to the completion of this specific project. I can then move on to using this same resin for other upcoming projects.

    I fully intend to reload and shoot the bullets I've already cast and powder coated but, I'm going to wait till I have a few more than just the handful of cast bullets that I've successfully cast thus far.

    It's a long drive to the shooting range and going there with just twenty-five or thirty bullets is less than productive in my mind.

    I'm afraid that posting videos of me shooting these finished bullets is beyond the scope of those Facebook 3D printing groups I'm a member of.

    The individuals that run these particular 3D print-related groups may not take kindly to me posting what can easily be considered as "Guns and Shooting" related content; even though it was all brought about by using 3D resin printing techniques and subject matter.

    When I upload those videos further documenting my success with this 3D print project, I'll be uploading them to my obscure YouTube channel. From there I can link those videos onto the updates I post on the bullet casting Facebook group and here as well as the other internet venues where I've posted this project.

    If any of you are interested in viewing them you can do so by visiting the 3D print section here on the Cast Boolits site or you can do a YouTube search for those videos by searching for the Tim Montano YouTube channel.

    I want to draw your attention to some of the text captions I've inserted in certain parts of this video. Please take the time to pause the video when you see those texts appear. I inserted this text in this manner to clarify some of things I'm speaking of. Also, doing it this way allows me to not have to add any more length to the video itself.

    Something else I'd like to clarify about a certain section of the video. Near the tail end of this video I'll be showing you the bullet weights I ended up with for the individual bullets.

    When I get to the 9MM bullet weights, I'm afraid my Dyslexia kicks in and I start rattling off some obviously incorrect bullet weights. The scale clearly reads out the correct bullet weights but my brain is registering and reading off incorrect weights.

    Sorry about that. I really am a diagnosed Dyslexic. This happens to me when I get into to much of a darn hurry.

    Someone requested that I show the print settings I used in the printing of my bullet molds. I've included those print settings at the tail end of this video. You can pause the video here too if you'd like to see the exact settings I've been using to print the altered formulation of the Siraya Tech Ultra White Resin.

    A note of importance regarding these print settings: They are set up for my specific printer. If you are using a different brand or model of printer, you may need to make adjustments to these setting in order to get your prints to come out how you want them to.

    Lastly, I don't want to forget to give a big shout out to a guy by the name of, Bill Pennigton. He's the fellow 3D resin print enthusiast who donated the bottle of Ultra White resin I used for printing up this latest batch of bullet molds. You can find him on YouTube on the channel known as, Gulfstream Outdoors.

    Also, for the moral support given to me by the good folks over at Siraya Tech, I am grateful.

    I'll be back after I've had the chance to print up the next batch of further improved bullet molds.

    Thanks again for sticking around.

    https://youtu.be/CEIROsVg8ug
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 11-01-2021 at 12:11 AM.

  12. #72
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    A Temporary Work-Around For My Resin Mixing Problem

    I've finally come up with a temporary fix for one of the main problems I've encountered while working with the altered formulation of the Siraya Tech Ultra White resin.

    This resin, in it's factory formulation is an extremely good resin for applications involving high heat applications.

    I recently began experiments using the Siraya Tech Ultra White resin in which I added more Porcelain Powder to the factory formulation in an attempt to increase the heat resistance of this resin.

    I found that if I could maintain a thorough blend or mix of all the components that make up this resin I could substantially increase the heat resistance.

    The downside of adding more Porcelain powder is that unless my 3D prints are paused periodically so I can manually mix the resin that's in the vat, the added Porcelain Powder tends to settle to the bottom of the vat quicker than I'd like.

    To add to that problem, each time I've paused the print it tended to leave a very faint but still barely perceptible layer line at the point of each print pause.

    An even mix of the altered formulation of this resin ensures that I get a more even heat resistance through out the entire print, as well as far better surface finishes.

    It's a major pain in the butt to have to pause my print periodically just to stir the resin in the vat but, it has to be done.

    Even now, with this little mixing gizmo I've 3D printed and put together, I still have to pause my print but, the mixing takes just a few seconds as apposed to the time it takes to painstakingly rake my spatula across the bottom of the vat.

    The pucker factor during these manual mixing events can be nerve racking. On a three or four hour print, it means I have to babysit the print process from beginning to end.

    Just to be clear; I developed this resin mixer just for this project and this specific resin; and, for the specific models I'm working with. Although, I suppose it could be used for some of the other 3D print resins on the market.

    If a resin calls for a thorough mixing before you print with them, a mixer of some type could be of some benefit; especially for periodic mixing during a long print.

    The models I'm printing only stand about an inch and a half tall. For taller models it may not be possible to raise the build plate high enough to fit this resin mixer on top of the resin vat.

    Anyway, this is my temporary solution to the ongoing problem I've had with this present 3D printed Bullet Mold project.

    This is a hastily made short video. I just wanted to show you all what I came up with.

    Make sure you pause the video as each new scene comes into frame, otherwise it may not make any sense.

    https://www.facebook.com/1525077442/...1839516405494/

  13. #73
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Should I Wait Or Should I GO?

    I have just enough resin left to print about four more individual bullets molds. Each of these 3D printed bullet mold takes about the same amount of resin. (2 oz.)

    Since coming up with my recent Resin-Mixing-Gizmo, I've tested it by simply placing it in my resin vat filled with an 2 ounce equivalent of water but, since that time I've actually come up with what I'm certain will be a more efficient way for me to keep my altered-formula resin thoroughly mixed throughout the four hour print time of each individual print. If I can get it to work like I think it will, I won't have to stand around to do periodic pauses to my print so that I can manually do the mixing.

    The problem I'm wrestling with now is; should I wait till I get my more efficient and automated resin mixer fabricated or should I move forward with my existing resin mixer?

    I'm leaning hard toward waiting because if I move forward with this and my existing resin-mixer doesn't mix my resin sufficiently enough, I will have wasted even more time and money/resin.

    If I wait it will require me to fabricate a new resin vat for my printer. Such a resin vat would be made out of Delrin instead of powder coated aluminum.

    Aluminum would be cheaper and faster to obtain but Delrin has the characteristics I'd need in order to keep any residual 3D print resin for adhering to it if or when it solidifies during routine printing or cleaning.

    This is important because the new resin vat design will have several threaded inlets and outlets that will aid in the circulation of resin within the vat. This circulation will be what keeps the altered-formulation of my resin well mixed throughout the time it takes for the print to reach completion.

    Drawing up the new resin vat was easy enough; it's running the Flow-Simulations in order to get the resin circulating as smoothly and efficiently as possible that's the hard part. In order to do this I'm having to learn how to use the Flow-Simulation feature that came with my CAD software. I never had any use for this simulation feature until now.

    I think I mentioned before that I'm, "Self-Taught" with most of this computer aided design stuff. My trial and error way of learning is one of those time consuming parts of being "Self-Taught."

    Delrin machines pretty easily based on previous experience so machining it shouldn't take to much time. It's the software part of this Self-Teaching that will take up most of my time.

    You wouldn't believe all of the video tutorials that I've watched on this subject in the past few days. I'm afraid that I get nothing out reading about this subject. Because of the slight dyslexia I have to deal with, reading about it just doesn't register in my brain in the same way as seeing it done or doing it hands-on, even with the trial and error.

    This is just another short update of where I'm at with this project. It is not yet completed by any means. It's still a work in progress. I think that the time that it will take me to rig up the new, more-hands-free resin vat that I have in the design stage right now will be more than made up for after I get it done.

    Of course, once I get it up and running it will leave me with no more excuses as to why my 3D resin printed bullet molds won't hold up for more than just a handful of bullets before they succumb to the effects of the molten lead.

    When all is said and done, the only way to know if it will all work out in the end is to try it and see.

    HollowPoint
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 11-10-2021 at 07:01 PM.

  14. #74
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Good News-Bad News-Good News-Bad News-Good News Bad News Good News

    To some it may seem like overkill but to me, it's my way forward to a successful completion of this 3D printed bullet mold project.

    Good News: I figured out how to use the "Flow Simulation" feature that came with my CAD software.

    Bad News: I found that this "Flow Simulation" feature is very rudimentary and upgrading to a full blown simulator software cost more money than I care to spend.

    Good News: This feature does gives just enough of a clue to help select the optimum positions of my input and output nozzles.

    Bad News: The "Flow Simulation" feature only allows me to select one input nozzle and one output nozzle at a time to run a flow simulation.

    I have a total of four nozzles through which my resin will be flowing; two input and two output nozzles.

    Good News: After testing various nozzle positions and angles of flow, this "Flow Simulator" helped me decide where the best places to set my nozzles.

    Bad News? Well, that's all the bad news.

    Good News: I had assumed that I'd be machining my new Auto-Mixing-Resin-Vat into existence. It had not even occurred to me that I might be able to just 3D print the resin vat instead.

    I knew that my resin printer had to small of a work envelop for this but I remembered that I also own a 3D Filament printer as well.

    I'd been working so much with my resin printer for the past several months that I'd forgotten I even owned a filament printer. And, even better news, I believe that my filament printer has a large enough work envelope to be able to print my new resin vat.

    Bad News; Kinda? It's a 13 and a half hour print but, I can live with that.

    My main concern was in selecting the best filament type to print the vat with. Being that I'm chronically cheap, I also remembered that back when I bought this filament printer it came with a complimentary roll of ABS filament and a roll of PLA filament.

    I used up the ABS filament pretty quickly but I've had the full roll of blue PLA filament in my storage room for about two years. I hope it's still good cause that's what I'll be using to print out my new resin vat.

    One of the images below is just one of the "Flow Simulation" attempts I ran. In all I must have done about a dozen or so before arriving at the vat design I'll be printing.

    This "Flow Simulation" shows the theoretical flow of the resin in an unobstructed resin vat. In reality, the models being printed will be altering the course of the resin flow. I also did some simulations by including some of these obstructions and for the most part, the placement of the input and output ports were still at their best in the corners of the vat with an angle aimed not quite at the center of the vat.

    The second is a computer rendering of my resin vat design. I've also taken the liberty of modeling the two small 12v pumps I'll be using to pump my resin through the vat in order to keep my resin continually mixed during my bullet mold prints.

    These to tiny pumps will have a Potentiometer wired ahead of them in order to be able to control the flow of the resin.

    This update is just to give you all an idea of how far along I've gotten thus far. To me it seems like I'm moving at a snails pace but, I am moving; slowly but surely.

    I'm pretty well set on the vat design but I may decide on a different set of micro-pumps. The ones pictured in my CAD rendering are just the smallest I've been able to find so far.

    I'll be back when I get farther along.

    HollowPoint
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails BestFlow.JPG   AutoMixerVat.JPG  
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 11-14-2021 at 11:11 AM.

  15. #75
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    More Good News-Bad News-Good News

    In checking into the durability of a resin vat printed using any kind of filaments or resins, I was informed by the folks who manufacture 3D print resins that, a 3D printed resin vat will most likely start to soften within a few hours of being in direct contact with a 3D print resin. A filament printed vat will most likely give up the ghost a bit more quickly than a resin printed vat.

    I'm still checking into this to confirm it. I was also told that there are only a couple of plastics that will hold up to this type of prolonged exposure to 3D print resins. One of those plastics being a high quality HDPE plastic (not the recycled kind, the highest quality kind) or possibly the highest quality Acrylic plastic.

    My original choice of materials was Delrin. I'm still waiting for confirmation to see if this is a suitable choice for this application. I still plan on 3D printing my prototype resin vat out of PLA. I want to see if I got all my dimensions right or not. From there I'll move on to my original plan; which was to mill the vat out of the material most suitable for this application.

    Funny thing is that, the manufacture of the same brand of 3D resin printer I'm using now; they used to make their resin vats out of aluminum. They recently started selling their printers with plastic resin vats. I put in an inquiry to find out exactly what kind of plastic they are using. It may very well be HDPE. I'll know for sure if or when they reply to my question.

    While I was at it I also asked them about the expected service life of their plastic resin vats. In the mean time, the project and the learning continues.

    I learned that a better pump choice for circulating the resin in my yet-to-be-fabricated Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat would be something called a Paristasltic Pump. I had never heard of such a pump until a few of the folks over on the Facebook 3D print group mentioned it. In researching this type of pump I found that it was indeed a far better candidate for circulating the more viscous resin. The little pumps I had originally looked into were made basically for circulating water. And since they were made of ABS plastic they most likely would have taken a dump on me in pretty short order.

    Once I find out which of the plastics I inquired about will best fit my needs I'll go ahead and order some from McMaster Carr to begin the fabrication.

    UPDATE:


    In looking into this a bit further it occurred to me that virtually all of the 3D print resin I've ever bought or been given came in a plastic bottle. These are the same plastic bottles that the 3D print resin is stored and shipped in.

    So, I looked on the underside of the resin bottles I have now in hopes of finding the name of the manufactures of these resin bottles. There was no such information available on the bottles BUT; on the underside of every single bottle was embossed in Capital-Letters, "HDPE."

    It looks like I've found the appropriate plastic for making my Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat out of. What a relief. I was afraid it would take even more time to get this information.


    HollowPoint
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 11-15-2021 at 10:21 PM.

  16. #76
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    The Parts I've Ordered Are Slowly Trickling In.

    After searching for more information on the durability of various 3D filament materials that might be better suited for printing my first prototype 3D printed Automatic-Resin-Mixing Vats I determined that PETG filament might be a good starting point. From what I could gather, the PLA filament I previously planned to use would have been a waste of time in printing for this application. I mean, other than to check to see if all of my dimensions were correct.

    My new roll of PETG arrived today and the first prototype print is running as I write this update. If filament printing this prototype is a waste of time I would prefer that this time be wasted on something that at least has a slightly better chance of giving me the information I need to move forward. Let's hope that there are no power outages during this 13-hour and 51-minute print that the 3D print Slicer software has calculated.

    The new Micro-Paristaltic-Pump and a length of tubing I ordered should be here tomorrow. The little Potentiometer I ordered at the same time I ordered my roll of PETG filament arrived in the same box as the filament so I'm all set there. I don't know what happened when I tried to order a rectangular stock of HDPE from McMaster Carr. Somehow the order didn't go through. I don't think I did anything wrong on my end. I'm thinking that something might be wrong with their ordering pages. I'll try again tomorrow.

    Thanks to some advice from one of the group members over on the Facebook 3D resin print group, I now know how to do a work-around when running my computer aided Flow-simulations. This work-around allows me to use all the input and output ports in my new resin vat to show how it might actually work before I move to far along. I'll be re-running some of those simulations again just to see if I had correctly selected the optimum positions of my input and output ports within the vat walls.

    If you recall, I was only able to select one input and one output port at a time in my previous Flow-Simulation attempts. It was suggested that I model a forked hose or tubing coming off of the pump and then select the input end of that forked hose as my input end. Each tube coming off of that forked tubing would go to each of the two input ports. The same will be done with a second modeled piece of forked tubing for the output port. In theory, this will allow me to see the input flow and the output flow of all four ports at the same time.

    If all goes according to plans, I should wake up tomorrow to a completed prototype Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat. If my Micro-pump arrives as it should I'll be able to setup my first test to see if it's going to work for me; or, if I'll have to do any tweaking to the geometry of my resin vat model.

    I'll be back with a photo of the finished print soon.

    HollowPoint

  17. #77
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Third Time's The Charm

    My first attempt at 3D filament printing the first of my prototype Automatic-Resin-Mixing vats started out beautifully. About a third of the way in, problems arose.

    I was afraid I had set the heat way to high in the print settings cause I was getting blobs of melted filament accumulating around the hot end/nozzle. I was asleep at the time so I didn't find this out till the next morning. It appeared that these same blobs of melted filament, while in their melted state, had drooped down and then solidified.

    This caused the solidified blobs of previously melted filament to rub hard enough against that part of the print that had already been laid down that it actually made the little stepper motor start skipping steps. I came to this conclusion because the initial one-third of this first print looked pristine. The other two thirds had shifted to one side by a good quarter inch.

    So, I tired again a second time. I could tell that the second attempt was clearly failing within the first twenty minutes of the print. I discovered that the nozzle of my printer had somehow come partially unscrewed. The blobs of melted filament were actually oozing out of the threaded slot into which the nozzle was screwed.

    I don't know how the heck that could have happened. This printer has been sitting idle for the past several months and no one else has used it except for myself.

    Oh well, I did manage to learn from my mistakes. The failed prints also indicated that the design of my Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat needed some slight changes to simplify the print process and, because of the change in the type of circulation pump I'll be using I thought now would be the time to make those changes.

    I screwed everything down tight on the printer and I was off to the races. The third print came out excellent. That PETG filament printed really nice once I figure out the correct print settings.

    I'm hoping to upload some photos of the two bad prints and the third (good print) before this weekend. After finally getting that good third print I decided to make just one more change to my model and try printing a fourth resin vat.

    Because I wasn't really sure exactly how I was going to route my hoses or tubes, I decided to just replace those integral arms with threaded holes instead. I turned some threaded brass fittings on the lathe. I'll be able to simply screw them into the holes that will be used as my input and output ports.

    The small pump I ordered still hasn't arrived yet. Updates from the seller state that they are running behind schedule with their shipment. It was supposed to be here on Monday. Then they updated the arrival to Tuesday. It's Wednesday now and Thanksgiving tomorrow so who knows when it will get here. Without that little pump I can't really move ahead with any testing.

    This is also why I decided to print that fourth vat while I'm waiting. I never was able to order that chunk of HDPE from McMaster Carr so I just order some off of the Ebay website. It was cheaper that way but that piece of material won't be here till the end of the month.

    I'll be back with those photos within the next couple of days.

    HollowPoint

  18. #78
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Still Waiting On My Peristaltic Pump But, Moving Right Along

    I was afraid that I'd be to stuffed with turkey later on to want to do any uploading or photo editing so I thought I'd get this done now.

    I'm still waiting on that little Peristaltic Pump I ordered but in the meantime I'm trying to get everything else related to this project done so when it does get here, I can start the testing to see if all of this effort is going to work for me.

    I think it will. I just need to verify it before I get too far ahead of myself.

    As mentioned in my previous post, my first attempt at printing one of these Automatic-Resin-Mixing vats started out really well but ended in disaster. The second print didn't fare to much better. OK, it was a little better but not by much.

    Prints 3 and 4 were the kind of prints I was hoping for all along. They turned out great.

    I have to mention that on the first two prints, I was printing them with a 55 percent infill. What this means is that they had a sort of honeycombed hollow interior with just the walls being solid. And, they were placed on my build plate upside down.

    Why upside down? This was done to facilitate a clean underside track. This underside track is where the clear FEP film is stretched over and held in place with a corresponding bottom face plate. I didn't want to have any microscopic burrs or uneven spots possibly damaging the FEP film. That clear thin film gets stretched on the bottom of the resin vat pretty tight.

    In doing all of this, it's easy to get sidetracked into forgetting why all of this is being done in the first place.

    Remember; I'm doing this in order to get the 3D print resin that I'm working with, thoroughly mixed so that I can 3D print my single cavity bullet molds with an even higher level of heat resistance. The higher the heat resistance, the better.

    Will it work? Will all of this effort pay off? I sure freaken hope so. I can already 3D print and successfully cast lead bullets with just the addition of a little extra porcelain powder to the factory formulation of the resin I'm using.

    I believe that getting a thorough mix of resin and porcelain powder will be just the ticket for being able to 3D print my bullet molds so that they last longer than just a few cast before they're no longer usable. Presently, much of the added porcelain powder tends to settle to the bottom of the resin vat during the print process. Keeping it thoroughly mixed is what I'm aiming for.

    I gotta to tell you guys; I was told by the "Experts" that make these 3D print resins that, a 3D filament or resin printed resin-vat would not hold up well when exposed to 3D print resin. Paraphrasing their exact words, they stated that the 3D printed resin vats would start to soften fairly quicky after being exposed to 3D print resin.

    They could be absolutely right. These 3D printed filament resin vats may very well melt away as they've indicated but, in looking at them and holding them in my hands, since they were printed as a solid mass of PETG plastic, they look and feel solid enough to withstand whatever detrimental effects that exposure to 3D print resin might do to them.

    So, what does this mean? Well, in typical fashion, and as a typical non-expert I'm thinking that the folks that offered up these "Expert" insights have most likely never really tried it for themselves. Their insights were based on book learning rather than HandsOn learning. Even if it turns out that they were right, I'll be happy if I can get two, three or four print sessions out of them before they give up the ghost.

    Until my block of HDPE material shows up and I can mill an Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat out of it, I plan on using one of these latest 3D filament printed resin vats to do my flow testing and if it works out, I'll use the other 3D filament printed resin vat to do another bullet mold print.

    I'll be back after my Peristaltic Pump shows up. Then I'll be able to do some preliminary flow testing with these 3D printed Automatic-Resin-Mixing vats.

    UPDATE: Just got another email from Peristaltic Pump seller stating that my pump should arrive today. (11-26-21) This is the third email update from this seller regarding the delivery of this micro-pump so I'm not holding my breath but if it does arrive, this means I can move forward with testing.

    HollowPoint
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails vat1.jpg   vat2.jpg   vat3.jpg  
    Last edited by HollowPoint; 11-26-2021 at 11:34 AM.

  19. #79
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Preliminary Flow Testing

    My Micro-Peristaltic Pump showed up today.

    I got a chance to do some rudimentary testing with it. I'm happy to report that the pump works. I mean it circulates the water I was using as my test medium.

    I happened to have some alcohol based dye/colorant that I used so show the flow of the liquid as it was sucked up through the output ports and flowed in through the input ports.

    This alcohol based dye wasn't the best choice but it was all I happened to have on hand. Since it was alcohol based it tended to float to the surface of the water in the vat so, I had to deliberately squirt it into the output ports to get the color to circulate up through one set of tubes and then down into the vat through the other set of input tubes.

    I made four, three minute video recordings of me running these tests with the hoses connected as I'd shown in my Computer aided flow simulations. For the most part, the water I was using was flowing almost exactly like the simulations.

    I also tried connecting the hoses in various different ways to see if it made any difference in the flow pattern. Oddly enough, with just one input and one output hose connected I got a slightly stronger flow rate but that flow rate did not seem to cover as broad of an area of the resin vat as the two-input and two-output setup.

    When I went to edit those videos for uploading to my Facebook account my laptop kept telling me that it couldn't play those videos because it couldn't read the files. For the first three minute video I used my daily carry cellphone and that video was able to play back but that particular video gave no real tangible information on the flow patterns.

    Then I broke out my secondary cellphone camera and thought it was recording like it always did. Because it was running out of memory to quickly during my last bullet casting video recordings I installed a larger memory card. It showed that it was recording and it also played back those recording but, when I attempt to upload them onto my laptop something seems to go haywire. My laptop couldn't seem to play them back for some reason.

    I'll have to remove that memory card I added just to see if it's causing these problems.

    I intend to run some more flow test next week. By then I should have these recording problems ironed out; then I can upload the video proof showing that the Computer aided Flow Simulations seemed to have been almost spot on.

    I have to mention here that it was only water that I was testing the flow of. The 3D print resin I'll be using is much thicker; and grittier given the added porcelain powder. I may have to break down and buy yet another micro-Peristaltic pump that has just a bit more pumping power to get that resin flowing at a rate that ensures a good resin mix.

    Fortunately these little pumps aren't very expensive. If I have to get a second pump of the same kind I will but I'd rather have just one slightly over powered pump that's capable to delivering just the right amount of flow when using 3D print resin. If it's slightly over powered I can then use the Potentiometer I purchased for this very reason. I'll be able to dial up or down the amount of flow I'm getting.

    I'll be back when I've tried a few more approaches to this resin flow testing. Thanks for sticking around for this long.

    HollowPoint

  20. #80
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    What the world calls "Global Warming", we in Arizona call "Summer Time."
    Posts
    2,123

    Cool You Are NOT Going To Believe This

    In fiddling around with all the connecting and disconnecting of the small hoses needed to facilitate the circulation of my fluid flow testing, I've come up with a way of simplifying the process even further. And even better still, it will make removing and cleaning the resin vat from the printer after the print is completed far, far simpler for me.

    I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. It's so simple.

    Don't get me wrong, I still plan on running more resin flow tests with the vats I've already 3D printed; and I still plan on video recording this testing so I can show you all how it's been working but, when that chunk of HDPE plastic I ordered finally arrives, I'll be forming it into a slightly different configuration. When you see it, you'll know what I mean when I say, "I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner."

    The Peristaltic-Pump, the hoses and a slightly different modified vat will still be needed and used but the slight change in configuration of the Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat will mean that either milling or 3D printing those Automatic-Resin-Mixing vats will be far easier, far less complicated and far quicker for me. What a relief.

    I'll try to model up some CAD Renderings of this slightly different resin vat configuration tonight so I can upload an image of it for you to see.

    Dimensionally, the geometry of the simplified Automatic-Resin-Mixing vat will remain essentially the same. The difference will be in the elimination of the integral inflow and outflow ports in the four-corner walls of the existing configuration.

    This slight change will require the fabrication of four individual Insert-Type of inflow and outflow ports but what makes them simpler is that they can be easily placed, adjusted for angle of flow and removed. No more having to connect and disconnect any hoses. (Except perhaps for the thorough cleaning of the pump and hoses.)

    HollowPoint

Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check