Epoxy and fiberglass filling for very strong 3D printed parts

"hobbyman" from Turkey made an Instructables guide on how to make a very strong 3d printed part by filling it with epoxy and cut fiberglass. The parts should hold bicycle bags attached firmly to the handlebar.

Here is a short two videos of the process:






And here are photos of part being saturated with fiberglass pieces:

... and here it is finished and very strong final part:

Detailed guide:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Strengthening-a-3D-Printed-Part/

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How to smooth your 3d prints with epoxy

TechWizAu made a video describing how he uses epoxy to get a smoothing effect without using acetone.
He uses the Z-Poxy PT-39 30 Minute epoxy to get much smoother surface finish. It is a dual component epoxy with the resin and hardener.

Here is how to video with the entire process and some tips:




I was not aware of this technique and it looks much easier then using acetone. I'm not sure what epoxies are available on my local market in Croatia but I will check it out.

Smoothing Vader 3d printed mask with epoxy and a small paint brush

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X-winder DIY carbon fiber wrapper or start of DIY carbon fiber 3d printing revolution

X-winder wraps carbon fiber with epoxy on rotating object. It lowers the price of carbon tubes and elements by up to 80% compared to market prices.

When you look at it from broader perspective it is a from of 3d printer which prints with carbon fiber, it just needs to be upgraded and developed to be able to print non-rotating shapes with full x/y/z movement or at least to reinforce ABS/PLA parts with carbon fiber applied on their surface.

There were similar solutions on the beginning of DIY 3d printing machines development like this 3d printer which printed silicone on rotating tube:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/10/from-diy-3d-printing-history-1-silicone.html

There were successful applications of epoxy surface glued Kevlar and carbon fibers on regular ABS/PLA 3d printed parts which gave them amazing strength:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/06/carbon-and-kevlar-fiber-reinforced-3d.html

For next level in carbon printing we need to bring those concepts in a single machine.
Hopefully there will be someone to develop this idea further.






X-winder kickstarter:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1157143472/x-winder-the-worlds-first-desktop-filament-winder

X-winder home page:

http://xwinder.com/

X-winder PDF brochure:

http://www.xwinder.com/X-Winder_TriFold_Brochure.pdf

X-winder technical specifications for standard 4 foot model and expanded 8 foot model 

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