Introduction: UV Cure Station for 3D Printed SLA Parts
UV & Heat Cure Your 3D Printed SLA Parts!
With an old unused toaster oven and a few supplies you can make your own cure station with these benefits:
- Heat - "Keep Warm" feature is the perfect 60-80C required for UV curing photo resins from SLA printers like the Form 2 from Formlabs.com
- Set and Forget - Using the timer function the oven turns off the light, the turntable, and the heat.
No need to build a housing or other structure to hold the parts or UV light.
- Glass door gives clear view of the part while curing
- No fire hazard as the oven is designed for much higher temperatures than the UV light generates.
- Heat up some pizza when your parts are done curing (J/K don't do that :))
Supplies
1. B&D CTO4300W or similar:
https://www.amazon.com/black-decker-cto4300w-perfe...
2. UV Light:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PR9RFC1/ref=p...
3. 120V Turntable Motor:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072C7PLKB/ref=p...
4. High temp RTV
5. 1/4" bolts and nuts
6. Reflective aluminum tape
7. Electrical splicing connectors
8. Zip ties
9. High temp two-part putty adhesive
Step 1: Mount the UV Light
Disassemble the oven and remove the back panel.
This model oven is the perfect size for the light I chose.
Cut out an opening large enough at least for the LED area of the light.
Match drill the corners and mount using 1/4" bolts and nuts.
Apply high temp RTV between the light and back panel prior to mounting to seal the opening.
Step 2: Electrical Connections
Even if you use this exact oven, I'm not going to explain in detail every single connection. If you are tackling this project, you should be comfortable with standard household 120VAC electronics (and electrical safety).
Key thing to determine is the hot lead which is activated by the timer. (There may be multiple, so determine which one is ALWAYS activated when the oven is only set to "Keep Warm").
Connect neutral leads from the UV light and/or motor to the oven's main power lead coming from it's cord.
Connect any grounds from the UV light and/or motor to the oven's chassis ground.
Ensure all connections are secure and no bare wires exposed.
Secure wires with zip ties.
(I ran the UV light cord through the oven's back panel ventilation holes by removing some of the grid and protecting the cord with a rubber bushing. The wires for the turntable motor (not shown) were routed out the oven's floor and back into electronics area through other ventilation holes.)
Step 3: Turntable Motor
Again, not going to go into great amount of detail on this, but this is how I put this part together:
Cheap cooking grease splatter shield from a grocery store - remove the handle.
Use high temp two-part putty (purchased from Ace hardware).
Use a metal rod same length as diameter of the splatter shield and run through the upper hole in the turntable output shaft.
Ensure the table is centered and plumb to the shaft and then apply putty to the center and ends.
Use the same two-part putty to mount the motor to the oven's floor.
(If I did this again, I might choose a slower motor. This one is just a bit too fast, but works.)
Step 4: Finishing Touches
Apply reflective aluminum tape to the walls to increase the light scatter. Not really necessary step as this light is very strong. (Though if you choose not to put in the turntable portion, apply tape to all surfaces including the glass door.)
Use a temperature probe to test the oven setting. (The temperature dial on cheap oven's like this are very inaccurate.)
Adjust for 60C (140F) and mark the dial in case it gets adjusted.
Test the functionality and make sure everything turns off when the timer goes off.
Wherever you place the oven for use, make sure there is clearance between the UV light housing. It gets quite hot when operating.