Castable Resin WAX (Wax-filled castable resin)
Reinforced grade
Pick when burnout must mimic carved wax exactly — lowest ash and lowest thermal expansion, at the cost of a soft, waxy, easily deformed pattern.
Values for the WAX condition
Other Castable Resin grades and fills
Castable Resin is listed in 4 conditions; see the grade overview at Castable Resin.
Compare all 4 grades and fillsHide
| Grade · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WAXThis page 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 |
What is Castable Resin WAX?
Castable Resin WAX is Castable Resin in the WAX grade — pick when burnout must mimic carved wax exactly — lowest ash and lowest thermal expansion, at the cost of a soft, waxy, easily deformed pattern. Castable Resin WAX has a tensile strength of 16 MPa (2.32 ksi), weaker than 72% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 5% and the elastic modulus is 0.6 GPa (0.087 Msi). Castable Resin WAX has a density of 1.09 g/cm³ (0.0394 lb/in³), lighter than 66% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is 45°C (113 °F).
Limitations
- Limited service temperature — 35°C (95 °F), worse than 100% of polymer grades
- Limited formability — 5/100, worse than 95% 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 WAX properties
Typical room-temperature values for Castable Resin WAX; 13 are specific to this condition. Other listed values are Castable Resin reference data and may not represent this condition. Bars are the position among polymer grades.
Physical5
Castable Resin WAX has a density of 1.09 g/cm³ (0.0394 lb/in³), lighter than 66% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is 45°C (113 °F).
Mechanical10
Castable Resin WAX has a tensile strength of 16 MPa (2.32 ksi), weaker than 72% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 5% and the elastic modulus is 0.6 GPa (0.087 Msi).
Thermal10
Castable Resin WAX is rated for continuous service to 35°C (95 °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 130 µm/m·K (72.2 µin/in·°F).
Electrical5
Castable Resin WAX 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 WAX 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 WAX's machinability is fair (45/100, worse than 78% of polymer grades); weldability not recommended (5/100); formability not recommended (5/100).
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Confirm any required mill or lot documentation when quoting.
Working with Castable Resin WAX
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.
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.
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) | — |
Castable Resin WAX — frequently asked
What is Castable Resin WAX used for?
Castable Resin WAX 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 WAX?
Castable Resin WAX has a typical tensile strength of 16 MPa (2.32 ksi) — weaker than 72% of polymer grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 4 listed tempers.
Is Castable Resin WAX easy to machine?
Reasonably — machinability is rated fair (45/100, worse than 78% 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 WAX 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 WAX?
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 WAX 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 WAX?
Castable Resin WAX is rated for continuous use to about 35°C (95 °F), and briefly to 80°C. Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
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. Nothing on this page is a certification — request mill certs, CoC or material test reports with your order.