MSLA 3D printed mold for eyecups - Canon 15x50IS.

For those who know, this eyecups are terrible. This design allows you to print a mold and cast a Silicone part into it.

The process can be found here: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/922798-making-silicone-parts-out-of-3d-printed-molds/

CAD: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/eb65370bbc9e2d7b6c9a41f4/w/c8da9da98423786e8e07f9f9/e/5332d7ea5a82007277442a4e

Materials you will need:
Silicone: Siraya Tech Defiant 25 silicone - https://siraya.tech/...cone-defiant-25
This is made to overcome cure inhibition against SLA printed parts. You can try other silicones but this one works. I also wanted to avoid tin cure silicone as that doesn't have the mechanical properties and is not always considered skin safe. This material is food grade so no worries here.

Optional colorant: Mica powder - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CTHFSBW
You need only a tiny amount per batch but it makes a huge difference IMHO. There are other dyes but beware of alcohol dyes as they can inhibit cure.

Obviously you need a 3D printer. You can use a "regular" 3D FDM printer. PLA seems to work well with the silicone but finishing the mold is time consuming and the accuracy can be hit-or-miss. I prefer using a MSLA printer as these can produce much more accurate parts. My tutorial is based on these but if you prefer using a FDM printer all this still applies with less worry of cure inhibition.

3D printer resin: Elegy ABS like 3.0. They Siraya Tech ABS like is also an option - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRDP8C2
These are tough, relatively odorless resins that don't have many volatiles that inhibit cure. I've had issues with other materials.

Sealing: I did seal the molds with a Krylon Matte spray - https://www.krylon.c...h-spray-coating
Though not necessarily a must I found that this improves the finish considerably and helps prevent cure inhibition. (see a trend here with this cure inhibition - yeah, it's a problem)

Making the molds:
Print your mold parts as per the default config. Err on the side of more exposure, You want the resin to be as cured as possible.
Clean the parts in two baths of IPA. A "dirty" bath to take away the bulk of the uncured resin and then in a clean bath for final cleaning.
Cure the parts for 30 minutes under water. Do not skip this part! I did not know about curing underwater but it seems that oxygen can interfere with resin curing. Submerging the parts underwater while curing prevents this and the result is definitely superior.
Dry the parts. You can use a paper towel and dry them in the sun. I placed them on my FDM printer's bed while being heated to 45°C for an hour to fully dry them.
Do any of the finishing steps here. Sanding and flattening if needed. Make sure the molds close completely. The resin is very thin and will run out of the mold easily. Ask me how I know.
Clean the molds completely again. You can use IPA but make sure you wash it with water and dry the molds again.
Spray the molds with 2 coats of the lacquer paint.
It's a lot of steps but you are really fighting cure inhibition here. The good news is that this tends to work really well.

Making the parts:
Clamp the mold halves together. Again, make sure they fit really well.
I design the mold halves to fit a 60ml syringe which makes filling much easier.
Use a scale to weigh the 2 parts of the silicone. Accuracy maters here and missing on this will ruin your parts. I usually start with part A, add the colorant and then add part B. You only need the tiniest amount of colorant, like a smidgen on the tip of your mixing stick.
Mix well for 5 minutes. The Siraya-Tech silicone has a relatively long pot life and you don't have to rush.
Let stand for a minute or two to degass. Again, the resin is thin and will degass without a vacuum chamber.
Pull the rising into the syringe. I pull a vacuum on the syringe by capping the tip and pulling the plunger. This really helps degass the silicone more.
Once satisfied the silicone is sufficiently mixed and degassed, inject it into the mold.
Wait 24 hours. I know it is supposed to be done in 6. Wait 24. You don't want to pull out goopy parts. If your shop is cold, you didn't do a great job of prep or whatever, give it time to fully cure.
Pull your parts and repeat to make more!