Painting Large Geometry SLA Resin Print Advice

[blaze182]

Hello everyone.

I'm looking for some for finishing method recommendations.

I have a large format SLA print that has a complex surface geometry making a paint brush or an airbrush impossible to use in the hard-to-reach spaces. Electroplating would be far too expensive considering the part size. Is there a similar method to electroplating, though for paint?

Thanks kindly for any response.

[fred_dot_u]

Powdercoating is not going to work, as the temperatures necessary for melting the powder are certain to exceed the temperatures for the model. The process works by placing a charge on the blown powder and the opposite charge on the item being coated. If the item has tight clearances between sections, the charged powder will not enter those areas and can be repelled. Your description about not being able to reach it with an airbrush would lead one to believe you have similar complication. This means that using an electrostatic liquid paint system would also be problematic. If you can add a photograph of the difficult areas, it might be helpful.

[blaze182]

Thanks Fred.

It is based on an Altec 15 Cell Horn.

The surface area would be easy to paint, but its more about the depth of each horn cell internally, and reaching in-between the horn cells externally.

The prints below are 1/10th scale.

Dimensions:589.5mm × 456.5mm × 354.4mm


Screenshot 2023-02-07 180713.jpg


158ac3cb-5128-4600-ade2-65e3bbe686ce.jpg2877762b-8222-4374-b54e-a2012dadef55.JPG

[fred_dot_u]

The scale you've provided leads me to believe that you could manage to get a substantial coverage with electrostatic painting. Unfortunately, such methods are expensive to implement on a DIY basis and expensive to contract to a vendor. I've found that one can use low temperature powder coating which reaches 130°C, if your prints can handle those temperatures. You'll still run into the Faraday effect in the tiny internal sections, but brush painting of those areas may be a solution.

[blaze182]

I'll investigate on the specs for the resin used and come back to you if powdercoat is viable.

I think it would be better to have electrostatic painting done professionally, as the provider would likely have better equipment to maximise the results.

Do you have any recommendation of providers? I don't mind shipping the parts.

[fred_dot_u]

I don't know of any in my area and have not researched it, but your favorite search engine is a good place to begin. Include "electrostatic painting near (insert your region here)"

A long time friend runs a powdercoating shop but I've never spoken to him about low temp stuff. It would be expensive as a one-off job, as there are large minimum orders for the specialty powders.