Castable Wax Resin CW40
Grade
CW40 = high wax content (~40%) castable resin
Pick when burnout cleanliness and investment-safe expansion matter most — behaves closest to true casting wax, but parts are soft and easily bent.
Values for the CW40 condition
Other Castable Wax Resin grades and fills
Castable Wax Resin is listed in 4 conditions; see the grade overview at Castable Wax Resin.
Compare all 4 grades and fillsHide
| Grade · open for datasheet | Best for | Yield MPa | Tensile MPa | Elong. % | Hardness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CW40This page High wax content (~40%) castable resin | Pick when burnout cleanliness and investment-safe expansion matter most — behaves closest to true casting wax, but parts are soft and easily bent. | — | 7 | 11 | 65 Shore D |
toughened / flexible castable wax blend | Use for long thin prongs, shanks and large trees where snapping during support removal or investing is the main failure mode. | 7 | 9 | 20 | 60 Shore D |
CW-STDDefault Standard wax-filled castable resin | General jewellery/small-part pattern resin; balanced print detail, handling strength and clean burnout. | — | 12 | 5 | 78 Shore D |
405 nm low-viscosity mSLA/LCD castable wax | Use on consumer LCD/mSLA printers where low viscosity and short layer exposure are needed; slightly stiffer and more brittle than SLA wax grades. | 16 | 18 | 3 | 80 Shore D |
What is Castable Wax Resin CW40?
Castable Wax Resin CW40 is Castable Wax Resin in the CW40 grade — pick when burnout cleanliness and investment-safe expansion matter most — behaves closest to true casting wax, but parts are soft and easily bent. Castable Wax Resin CW40 has a tensile strength of 7 MPa (1.02 ksi), weaker than 82% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 11% and the elastic modulus is 0.18 GPa (0.0261 Msi). Castable Wax Resin CW40 has a density of 1.05 g/cm³ (0.0379 lb/in³), lighter than 69% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is 45°C (113 °F). CW-STD is the default condition FabDigit quotes; CW40 is available on request or by drawing note.
Limitations
- Limited service temperature — 32°C (90 °F), worse than 100% of polymer grades
- Degrades in UV without stabilisers — 20/100, worse than 88% of polymer grades
- Difficult to machine — 35/100, worse than 84% of polymer grades
- Hard to polish — 30/100, worse than 82% of polymer grades
Castable Wax Resin CW40 properties
Typical room-temperature values for Castable Wax Resin CW40; 11 are specific to this condition. Other listed values are Castable Wax Resin reference data and may not represent this condition. Bars are the position among polymer grades.
Physical4
Castable Wax Resin CW40 has a density of 1.05 g/cm³ (0.0379 lb/in³), lighter than 69% of polymer grades. Its glass-transition temperature is 45°C (113 °F).
Mechanical8
Castable Wax Resin CW40 has a tensile strength of 7 MPa (1.02 ksi), weaker than 82% of polymer grades. Elongation at break is 11% and the elastic modulus is 0.18 GPa (0.0261 Msi).
Thermal7
Castable Wax Resin CW40 is rated for continuous service to 32°C (90 °F). It conducts heat at 0.2 W/m·K (0.116 BTU/hr·ft·°F), worse than 56% of polymer grades. Thermal expansion is 150 µm/m·K (83.3 µin/in·°F).
Chemical & Environmental2
UV resistance is poor.
Manufacturability2
Castable Wax Resin CW40's machinability is fair (35/100, worse than 84% of polymer grades).
Values are nominal handbook figures for design screening. Confirm any required mill or lot documentation when quoting.
Working with Castable Wax Resin CW40
Is Castable Wax Resin easy to machine?
Not a machining material — patterns are carved or trimmed with a warm blade or scalpel; the wax phase smears and gums abrasives.
Can Castable Wax Resin be welded?
Joined like wax: sticky wax, a heated spatula or a drop of the same uncured resin flashed with UV.
Can Castable Wax Resin be formed, bent or molded?
Print at 25–50 µm layers with generous supports; wash briefly (≤3 min IPA or wax-safe solvent), post-cure cool and short, then invest promptly — burn out with a slow 150 °C wax-drain hold before the standard 730–750 °C ramp.
What surface finishes work on Castable Wax Resin?
Smooth with a low-heat wax pen or brief warm-air pass; no anodizing/plating — the pattern is destroyed in burnout, so finish quality is transferred to the cast metal.
Castable Wax 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 (meth)acrylate oligomernetwork former | 25 – 50 | 38 |
| acrylate monomer / reactive diluentviscosity control | 10 – 35 | 20 |
| paraffin / microcrystalline waxburnout and expansion control phase | 15 – 45 | 30 |
| photoinitiator (e.g. TPO/BAPO)385/405 nm | 0.5 – 3 | 1.5 |
| pigment, UV blocker, stabilizercolour and cure-depth control | 0.05 – 2 | 0.5 |
| residual ash after burnouttypical claim <0.05 wt% | 0 – 0.05 | 0.02 |
Castable Wax Resin CW40 — frequently asked
What is Castable Wax Resin CW40 used for?
Castable Wax Resin CW40 is typically used for fine jewelry casting, dental crown/bridge patterns and detailed investment casting. In short: wax-like burnout behaviour; lowest ash residue; fragile pattern-only resin.
What is the tensile strength of Castable Wax Resin CW40?
Castable Wax Resin CW40 has a typical tensile strength of 7 MPa (1.02 ksi) — weaker than 82% of polymer grades. Strength varies by condition: see the 4 listed tempers.
Is Castable Wax Resin CW40 easy to machine?
Not especially — machinability is rated fair (35/100, worse than 84% of polymer grades). Not a machining material — patterns are carved or trimmed with a warm blade or scalpel; the wax phase smears and gums abrasives.
Can Castable Wax Resin CW40 be welded?
Joined like wax: sticky wax, a heated spatula or a drop of the same uncured resin flashed with UV.
What surface finishes work on Castable Wax Resin CW40?
Smooth with a low-heat wax pen or brief warm-air pass; no anodizing/plating — the pattern is destroyed in burnout, so finish quality is transferred to the cast metal.
Can Castable Wax Resin CW40 be formed, bent or molded?
Print at 25–50 µm layers with generous supports; wash briefly (≤3 min IPA or wax-safe solvent), post-cure cool and short, then invest promptly — burn out with a slow 150 °C wax-drain hold before the standard 730–750 °C ramp.
What is the maximum service temperature of Castable Wax Resin CW40?
Castable Wax Resin CW40 is rated for continuous use to about 32°C (90 °F). Strength falls off well before that limit — check the elevated-temperature data for load-bearing parts.
Sources
- Castable Wax 40 Resin — material properties and burnout guide — Formlabs (2023)
- Castable wax-based DLP/LCD resin technical data — BlueCast / Phrozen / Elegoo (2024)
- ASTM D638 / D790 / D2240 test methods for plastics — ASTM International (2022)
- Investment Casting Handbook — pattern wax and burnout practice — Investment Casting Institute (2019)
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.