Bulk Mixing Materials & Equipment
All Carbon two-part resins are made by combining two components: Part A & Part B.
Part A is highly viscous, similar to honey. It contains photosensitive chemicals so it must be stored in an opaque container.
Part B is lower viscosity than Part A, similar to vegetable oil. It can be stored in clear or translucent containers.
In some cases, other substances may be added to Part A or Part B. For example:
- EPU 46 Color Base Part A requires pigment dispersions to be added to achieve the desired color.
By their nature, bulk resins come in large packages and can be quite heavy to move by hand. Large drums and IBCs require equipment for safe transport. Even 19 L cans (also called jerricans, jerry cans, or carboys) can be quite heavy and difficult to handle. Additionally, Part B components are much less viscous (more watery) than Part A. So they will pour much faster and are more difficult to control when using larger containers. For these reasons, downpacking is recommended for for all quantities larger than 5 L.
- For package volumes of 19 L or greater, consider downpacking to 5 L or 1 L containers. This makes dispensing components much easier.
- A spout can be useful for downpacking. Spouts can be purchased from Air Sea Containers here: 51 mm Jerrican Cap Taps / Faucet - Fits 5L & 10L Jerricans.
- Light penetrates the clear plastic housing which can lead to premature resin curing. This can clog the spout and affect part quality.
- Cover the housing with duct tape, foil or another opaque material to protect the resin from light exposure.
- The Part A component is light sensitive, so it must be stored in light-proof containers like opaque amber nalgenes.
- Due to its high viscosity, Part A components are better suited to be stored in containers with wide mouths.
- The Part B component is not light sensitive, so it can be stored in any color PPE or HDPE bottle.
- Due to its low viscosity, Part B components work best with narrow mouth bottles in order to have better control of the material during pouring.
Carbon recommends immediately downpacking RPU 130 Part B and EPU 41 Part B into 1 L bottles to make handling easier, safer, and avoid “salt” formation.
19 L cans are easier to handle with two people. One person tips the can while the other person holds the container.
EPU 46 Color Base Part A enables the creation of a wide range of custom colors. Coloration is achieved by mixing a range of pigments into Part A.
Only validated pigments can be used for color creation. See EPU 46 Color Mixing for more information.
The mixer is the main piece of equipment required for blending resin components.
These mixers are compatible with Carbon's two-part materials:
- Vortex mixer
- Overhead mixer
- Planetary mixer
- MMD (Meter Mix and Dispense)
Go to Two-Part Resin Dispensing for general information about the strengths of each mixing option.
A calculator or computer is needed to calculate the correct amount of each component to measure out. Information such as the resin type, density of the resin and A:B ratio by weight is required.
A computer gives access to the Carbon Resin Mixing Calculator which provides a user-friendly interface for calculating resin amounts.
Precision scale
A high precision scale accurate to at least 0.2 g is required.
- Consider maximum weight capacity for your printer/application
- Reasonably priced
- 0.2 g resolution
- 6,000 g capacity
When mixing custom colors (EPU 46 Color Base) a scale with an accuracy of 0.01 g is required.
Production scale
For high-volume production, the Sartorius PMA.Vision scale is an excellent option offering advanced features:
- Resin recipe storage
- On-demand recalculation in case of overpour
- Job and user tracking
- 0.1 g resolution
- 7,500 g capacity
Opaque amber nalgenes
1 L and 5 L nalgenes can be used to hold components purchased in higher volume packaging. This makes dispensing and storage easier.
Part A components must be stored in opaque containers to protect contents from exposure to light.
Plastic containers
Plastic containers (HDPE or polypropylene) can be used to store components purchased in higher-volume packaging.
- Part B components are not light sensitive so they can be stored in clear or natural containers.
- Due to the low viscosity of Part B, narrow mouth bottles are a good fit. The smaller opening makes it easier to pour accurately.
Part A contains photosensitive chemicals and so must be stored in opaque containers.
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP) are used for the packaging of Carbon resins and are recommended to be used for mixing operations as well.
Pipettes are used to dispense small amounts of components and pigment dispersions.
Silicone spatula
Spatulas are useful for capturing residual mixed resin left in mixing containers.
Blue paper towels
Standard disposable shop towels for cleaning up spills and smears.
