Space Shuttle Launch Pad 39A with Challenger STS-6 (1:144)

[Revell-Fan]

Wow, when I looked at the first picture with the foamed interstage I thought it had dissolved completely. Thank goodness thast wasn't the case.

Great to "see" you "in person"! Now we have a face behind this masterful report (or shall I say, odyssey ).

[spacerunner]

Thanks Marcell for your nice words.

Yep, it's starting to get scary and spoil all the fun with tiny details, but maybe that's the curse of the many grooves.
On the one hand the cleaning of this Intertank with its many fine grooves obviously is an extremely hard nut and very difficult to handle.

But on the other hand it also seems to be a problem of the post-treatment and cleaning of prints by Shapeways itself, because the third IT seems have been treated more thoroughly and consequently to be cleaner than this first IT. Other guys have also noticed and complained about this different quality of the post-treatment, as I've read in several forums.
Maybe Shapeways would have to let him in the oven for longer to melt out the residual wax completely.
In this context, I remember a passage in Shapeways Magazine (1. Model Prep) with the following interesting tip, which could be a broad hint for all users.

**TIP** If you notice an excess amount of residual support material or details are distorted, this may call for a reprint. Please send an image and order number to [email protected].

And then the following thing does not go out of my mind.
This is the BANDELIN video about the ultrasonic cleaning of a chain I posted in #1605, where one had cleaned for about 4 h at 70°C until all the wax was dissolved.



This longer time we will take into consideration when cleaning the final IT in the Dental Lab next week.

[spacerunner]

Hello friends,

meanwhile, I also got the WSF-Intertank, which gives me a comparison between these two materials.



And I have to confess that I'm quite surprised, especially since the details come out well despite the slightly grainy surface.









And since there is no shrinkage in the WSF material during printing, the IT fits exactly between the two ET parts.







Of course, the roughness looks blatant on these macro shots,





but already with some distance from the normal viewing perspective, it looks much friendlier.




And if the IT will be painted, he should also fit optically well to the other two ET parts, which additionally shall get their insulating foam look.



Since WSF printing uses powdered plastic and no support wax, the parts have only a slight powdery residue that can be removed by slight rinsing off in dish water, as my ARC friend Bill (niart17) has reported for his 1/72 WSF-Intertank.

Because WSF is porous and sucks up a lot of moisture, one should let the parts dry for several days, before one applies a primer.
But all in all it means, that cleaning of WSF parts should be less expensive than of FUD parts.

[spacerunner]

Hello everybody,

before I go into detail about with the final FUD-IT, here are both IT variants one more time in comparison.




In preparation for the cleaning campaign in the Dental Lab I have again scrutinized the FUD-IT under my new magnifying glass and taken macro shots all-around, in order to be able to better control the critical points on site, whether or how far the wax residuals have been removed.



As I have already described, the last of the three FUD-ITs has the fewest wax residuals, once more confirming the different quality of the Shapeways aftertreatment.

In the circled areas one can see clusters of wax residuals in the grooves,



which are visible more or less well due to the low FUD contrast.















And after a full circumnavigation of the IT, I'm back at the starting point at the two Fairings,



wherewith I want to let it go at that for today.

[Algebraist]

Hi Manfred

I am sure this wax issue has been very frustrating for you at times, but you making progress and I think/hope/am sure you will get there (and thousands of people are willing you on too!)

I was talking to a colleague of mine who has many years experience of 3D printing in various materials and I asked him about wax removal from objects in FUD material. He told me it is really difficult and there is no "catch-all" method. Indeed he said a lot of research is going on into the whole area of "easy total removal" of supporting material (usually a wax) for 3d printing.

Just thought I would tell you so you do not think that you have somehow missed reading about a "straightforward" way of removing all the wax from your IT.

Regards

Kevin

[spacerunner]

Thanks Kevin for your encouragement.

BTW, the WSF-IT surprisingly looks really awesome.

But I do not give up the ghost and I hope to get a grip on the FUD-IT still and give it a new chance, when I can use again the better possibilities of the Dental Lab.

But one perception surely applies: A fast cleaning does not exist (still).

Meanwhile, I talked to a BANDELIN expert who gave me valuable tips on ultrasonic cleaning conditions I never heard before and might be the key to success.

[spacerunner]

Hello everybody,

in preparation for the decisive cleaning of the last FUD-IT in the Dental laboratory, I have dealt more intensively with the matter and looked around further.

In the already shown BANDELIN Video of the ultrasonic cleaning of the chain the intensive cleaner TICKOPUR R 60 (10%) was used for approx. 2 - 3 h at 70 °C.

In a corresponding product information of the DR. H. STAMM GmbH I found this information, which made me unsure referring to the cleaning time, as they are much shorter.

Application with ultrasound
Dosage: 2 - 20 %
Cleaning time: 1 - 10 min.
Temperature: 20 - 80 °C

Application without ultrasound
Dosage: 10 - 30 %
Cleaning time: up to 12 h
Temperature: 20 - 80 °C

Therefore I have contacted BANDELIN and received the following answer from the DR. H. STAMM GmbH (Plant Manager Stephan Herzberg), what amazed me at first.

The cleaning time in removing the support material is a special application, which deviates considerably from the usual vleaning times, which are recommended in the product information, but have been determined by tests and have already been used successfully by several customers.

A soapy water will probably not bring the desired cleaning result even with prolonged time, which you can of course test.

We recommend the use of TICKOPUR R 60 with the application parameters given in the video.

Thereupon I contacted the manager and first learned that the DR. H. STAMM GmbH historically belongs to the corporate group BANDELIN and cleaning and disinfection preparations for SONOREX Ultrasound Technology developed and produced.

Then he gave me to my questions about the application parameters given in the video willingly information, as well as special advice for cleaning my Intertank.

Since the strongest ultrasound effect in the trough occurs from below, the IT should not be upright during the cleaning because of the grooves, but lying longitudinally in a glass insert, and by stepwise rotation about the longitudinal axis after about 15 minutes in TICKOPUR Bath at 70 °C cleaned and checked in between.

For the best cavitation performance, the glass insert should have a distance from the bottom of the tank of approx. 2 - 3 cm and, because of the connection itself, also be surrounded by water + cleaning agent, otherwise losses would occur.

Considering the filigree grooves of the Intertanks he thinks that longer cleaning times of about 2 - 3 h might be necessary, which is why checks after shorter intervals would make sense.
Now all I have to do is wait for the ordered TICKOPUR, and then I will go back to the Dental lab for the Final Countdown.

[elliott]

Progress at last! I know you must feel at least somewhat relieved at to be going forward again Manfred. Never heard of Tickopur but it sounds like just the thing. I trust that it will be everything you hope for. Fingers still crossed. When is your date with the Dental Lab again?

[Revell-Fan]

This thread is becoming like a Sherlock Holmes detective story. Great investigations and awesome response by the company. I really hope this works! Staying tuned..!

[spacerunner]

Thanks Elliott and Marcell for your good wishes and keeping your fingers crossed.

I hope the TICKOPUR will support the job effectively.



And therefore I think I'll manage it with the final IT at my next trip to the Detal Lab if I follow the instructions of the BANDELIN expert.

Otherwise I take the WSF IT, which fortunately has no support wax.