Castable Resin
Castable Resin is a UV-cured acrylate photopolymer for SLA, DLP and LCD printing, compounded with low-ash-residue additives so patterns burn out cleanly during investment casting (GB/T 35022 family).
Reference datasheet — Castable Resin is not in the instant-quote catalog. Upload your part and an engineer will quote it in this grade or suggest the closest stocked equivalent.
Castable Resin grades and fills
Castable Resin is supplied in 4 conditions, soft to hard.
Compare all 4 grades and fillsHide
| Grade · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wax-filled castable resin | Pick when burnout must mimic carved wax exactly — lowest ash and lowest thermal expansion, at the cost of a soft, waxy, easily deformed pattern. | 16 | 5 | 72 Shore D | |
fast 405 nm MSLA/LCD castable resin | Low-viscosity, high-photospeed formulation for 405 nm LCD printers; cheapest per litre but slightly higher ash and more shrinkage than laser-SLA grades. | 30 | 5 | 80 Shore D | |
Stone-in-place / gem-setting castable resin | Use when gemstones are set in the pattern before investing — tougher, less brittle prongs and a burnout profile that protects the stones. | 40 | 10 | 84 Shore D | |
Industrial / large-pattern castable resin | For larger steel/aluminium investment castings where the pattern must stay dimensionally stable — stiffer, higher HDT, often hollowed to control shell expansion. | 48 | 4 | 86 Shore D |
Supply forms, finishes and certifications
Ways Castable Resin is supplied — form, process route, surface or paperwork — without a datasheet of their own. The property values above apply.
| Option | What it is | Type |
|---|---|---|
STDDefault | Standard low-ash castable resin | Standard supply |
What is Castable Resin?
Castable Resin is a UV-cured acrylate photopolymer for SLA, DLP and LCD printing, compounded with low-ash-residue additives so patterns burn out cleanly during investment casting (GB/T 35022 family). It replaces carved or injected wax patterns for jewelry and small metal parts, and is supplied as liquid resin in STD, WAX, STONE, IND and LCD-FAST versions. Cured properties are those of a brittle thermoset: 35 MPa tensile strength, 6% elongation, 1.6 GPa modulus, 82 Shore D, 1.13 g/cm³, with a 62 °C glass transition and 50 °C maximum service temperature, so patterns are consumables rather than functional parts. Where a softer, wax-like burnout behaviour is needed, use Castable Wax Resin. Castable Resin has a density of 1.13 g/cm³ (0.0408 lb/in³), lighter than 62% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is 60°C (140 °F). Castable Resin has a tensile strength of 35 MPa (5.08 ksi), weaker than 58% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 6% and the elastic modulus is 1.6 GPa (0.232 Msi).
What is Castable Resin used for?
- jewelry investment casting
- lost-wax metal casting patterns
- small precision metal parts
Limitations
- Limited formability — 5/100, worse than 95% of polymer grades
- Limited service temperature — 50°C (122 °F), worse than 94% of polymer grades
- Needs corrosion protection — 60/100, worse than 89% of polymer grades
- Difficult to weld — 5/100, worse than 89% of polymer grades
- Degrades in UV without stabilisers — 20/100, worse than 88% of polymer grades
Castable Resin properties
Typical room-temperature values; bars are the position among polymer grades.
Physical5
Castable Resin has a density of 1.13 g/cm³ (0.0408 lb/in³), lighter than 62% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is 60°C (140 °F).
Mechanical10
Castable Resin has a tensile strength of 35 MPa (5.08 ksi), weaker than 58% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 6% and the elastic modulus is 1.6 GPa (0.232 Msi).
Thermal10
Castable Resin is rated for continuous service to 50°C (122 °F). It conducts heat at 0.19 W/m·K (0.11 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 68% of polymer grades. Thermal expansion is 95 µm/m·K (52.8 µin/in·°F).
Electrical5
Castable Resin is an electrical insulator with a dielectric strength of 16 kV/mm (406.4 V/mil) and a resistivity of 1×10¹² Ω·m.
Chemical & Environmental3
Corrosion resistance is good (60/100), worse than 89% of polymer grades. UV resistance is poor.
Sustainability3
Producing a kilogram of Castable Resin takes about 110 MJ of energy and emits 5.5 kg of CO₂ — more than 64% of polymer grades. Typical recycled content is 0%.
Manufacturability5
Castable Resin's machinability is fair (35/100, worse than 84% of polymer grades); weldability not recommended (5/100); formability not recommended (5/100).
Common Calculations4
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Certified mill or lot data ships with every FabDigit order on request.
Strength versus weight in the polymer family
Yield strength against density for every polymer grade FabDigit runs. Castable Resin is highlighted; hover a dot for its name, or open the interactive family chart.
Working with Castable Resin
Is Castable Resin easy to machine?
Light hand finishing only — sand/file cured patterns gently; the thermoset is brittle and frictional heat smears it, so avoid powered cutters on thin prongs.
Can Castable Resin be welded?
Not weldable; join pattern sections with a drop of the same liquid resin flashed under a 405 nm lamp, or with sticky wax before investing.
Can Castable Resin be formed, bent or molded?
Printed on SLA/DLP/LCD at 25–50 µm layers; hollow bulky parts with vent holes so shell expansion is absorbed, wash in IPA briefly and post-cure fully before investing.
Castable Resin chemical composition (wt %)
Limits by weight percent from the governing specification, written the way the spec states them — a single maximum for impurities, a range for alloying elements, and the base element as balance. Nominal is the typical mid-range value.
| Element | Spec limit (wt %) | Nominal |
|---|---|---|
| urethane/epoxy acrylate oligomerbackbone, sets stiffness and burnout residue | 25 – 55 | 40 |
| photoinitiator (TPO / TPO-L / BAPO)405 nm or 385 nm absorber | 0.5 – 4 | 2 |
| wax / low-melt organic filler0 in standard grade, 20–40 % in wax-filled castable | 0 – 40 | 0 |
| pigment / UV blockerresolution control; must be ash-free organic dye | 0.05 – 1 | 0.3 |
| inorganic ash residue after 700 °C burnokey quality metric, wt % | 0 – 0.05 | 0.02 |
| acrylate/methacrylate reactive diluentIBOA, HDDA, TMPTA etc. — viscosity control | ≥ 25 (balance) |
What surface finishes work on Castable Resin?
Pattern surface quality transfers directly to the casting — sand supports smooth, steam or ultrasonic clean, then invest in gypsum and run a slow 2–4 h ramp to 730–750 °C for ash-free burnout.
Equivalent designations
Standards and trade names that resolve to Castable Resin in FabDigit's catalog. Equivalence is nominal — check the exact specification when certification matters.
- Similar grades
- GB/T 35022
How much does Castable Resin cost?
Castable Resin is a high-cost polymer ($$$$), pricier than about 78% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Castable Resin — frequently asked
What is Castable Resin used for?
Castable Resin is typically used for jewelry investment casting, lost-wax metal casting patterns and small precision metal parts. In short: low-ash burnout resin; direct wax pattern replacement; consumable casting pattern.
What is the tensile strength of Castable Resin?
Castable Resin has a typical tensile strength of 35 MPa (5.08 ksi) — weaker than 58% of polymer grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 4 listed tempers.
Is Castable Resin easy to machine?
Not especially — machinability is rated fair (35/100, worse than 84% of polymer grades). Light hand finishing only — sand/file cured patterns gently; the thermoset is brittle and frictional heat smears it, so avoid powered cutters on thin prongs.
Can Castable Resin be welded?
Not readily — weldability is rated not recommended (5/100). Not weldable; join pattern sections with a drop of the same liquid resin flashed under a 405 nm lamp, or with sticky wax before investing.
What surface finishes work on Castable Resin?
Pattern surface quality transfers directly to the casting — sand supports smooth, steam or ultrasonic clean, then invest in gypsum and run a slow 2–4 h ramp to 730–750 °C for ash-free burnout.
Can Castable Resin be formed, bent or molded?
Printed on SLA/DLP/LCD at 25–50 µm layers; hollow bulky parts with vent holes so shell expansion is absorbed, wash in IPA briefly and post-cure fully before investing.
What is the maximum service temperature of Castable Resin?
Castable Resin is rated for continuous use to about 50°C (122 °F), and briefly to 80°C. Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
How much does Castable Resin cost?
Castable Resin is a high-cost polymer ($$$$), pricier than about 78% of the materials FabDigit quotes. Part price depends far more on geometry, tolerance and quantity than on the raw stock — upload a CAD file for a live quote.
Sources
- Castable Wax 40 / Castable Wax Resin Technical Data Sheet — Formlabs (2023)
- BlueCast X-One / Original castable resin data — BlueCast (2022)
- ASTM D638 / D790 / D648 / D2240 plastic test methods — ASTM International (2022)
- Investment casting burnout practice for 3D-printed patterns — Investment Casting Institute (2020)
Property data is compiled from published supplier and standards handbooks and normalised for comparison; hardness values on non-Brinell scales are converted approximately for charting only. Manufacturability limits are FabDigit quote-engine defaults and may be relaxed by engineering review. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.