O-ring silicon grease and waterproof ASA Prints
Hi there 🙂
I'm currently printing cases for Electronics that should be spray water proof.
As they also need to be Uv-Resistant and impact resistant I opted to go for the Prusament ASA filament.
The lid of the case (upper part of the Hammond RP1010C case) will be connected using screws with inserts and an EPDM rubber band as a seal.
I managed to make the box watertight by painting it with Plastik 70 PCB sealant (acrylic based clear paint) (submerged for 24h in a Tupper box).
BUT: The EPDM seals seem to be degrading over time (6+ months). The manufacturer recommends the use of silicon grease to protect the seals and improve the water tightness.
PROBLEM: ASA seems to have poor resistance to said silicon grease.
Do you have any insights on that? is there and alternative that works with both EPDM and ASA concerning the waterproofing?
Thanks and cheers from Salzburg, Austria
Tom
RE: O-ring silicon grease and waterproof ASA Prints
I what does the silicon grease do to the ASA?
RE:
The information comes from a table from Stratasys. Infos can be found at the following link:
https://blog.trimech.com/fdm-chemical-resistance
I'll add the link to the original posting. While we can be quite sure this information applies to the filament by Stratasys, I actually didn't find anything on that topic for Prusament ASA.
Edit: I'd like to add the Link to the original posting, but I don't seem to be able to.
RE: O-ring silicone grease and waterproof ASA Prints
First, let me gently correct an error. Silicon is a hard semiconductor material. Silicone is a Siloxane polymer used for its rubbery or lubricant properties.
Now a recommendation:
Polycarbonate is listed as compatible with Silicone.
https://www.foxxlifesciences.com/pages/polycarbonate-chemical-compatibility-chart
Whatever you find to do with your hands, do with all your might!
RE: O-ring silicon grease and waterproof ASA Prints
Important to remember that one manufactures ASA won't be the same as anothers, the mix will vary (although of course could still suffer the same issues).
RE:
@Tom, have you considered using Polypropylene instead of ASA/ABS ?
PP has an excellent resistance to most chemical compounds (silicone included) and also, being quite flexible, withstands impacts very well. Very good water tightness too.
The not so good qualities of PP are a mediocre resistance to high temperatures (say above 70C) and lack of rigidity/hardness. If those two conditions are mandatory for your cases, then ASA or PC ( as suggested by @burtronix) are better choices.