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The material of Solidscape parts is optimized for burnout for investment casting.  It's a non-toxic thermoplastic that acts much like a jewelry injection wax, but is more brittle: it breaks instead of bending.  It has a very good shelf life, but it is not suitable for any functional application, and most parts will not stand much handling at all. The material can be worked by hand with warm tools, and sprues can be added by hand just as with regular wax models.  However it is not a friendly modeling medium, and reworking designs by hand is not recommended.  Your CAD model should be the final design.  In fact, it's often a good idea to build a sprue, or at least a short sprue stub, right into the CAD model.  This saves handwork on the part, allows you to place the sprue precisely, and gives a clean joint. At right, a model of the 120-cell (a 4D polytope, here projected into 3D) by George Hart and Carlo Sequin.  A discussion of the geometrical techniques is here. Cracks or breaks can be repaired by wax welding, or - with a quick hand - by cyanoacrylate glue with a catalyst such as Zip Kicker.  CA glue alone does not work very well.  Models can be reinforced with clear nail polish, as was done with the outermost struts of this 120-cell model. Like normal wax, this material can be polished with alcohol or acetone.  Polishing is necessary for a bright finish, as you will see some surface texture no matter what layer thickness is used.  This means that all areas to be polished must be accessible: you can't put a bright finish anywhere that you can't reach with a tool.  It also means that you should allow extra material to be polished away, especially in thin areas. Unlike normal wax, it is slightly water-soluble.  It can be wetted briefly without damage, but it shouldn't be soaked or left wet.  Ordinary investing procedures won't damage models, but with slow-setting investments (e.g. platinum) it's best to seal parts before investing.  This material melts at about 200F, and burns out without expansion or residue.  Most jewelry casters have no difficulty working with it, provided they can bear in mind that it's more fragile than ordinary wax.  It is compatible with RTV mold rubbers and epoxy resins, but it is not heat-resistant enough to be used directly in a vulcanized mold. If you'd like to know more about the material, please ask.  MSDS, manufacturer's spec sheet, and samples are available.   The available layer thicknesses are .002" (medium), .001" (fine), and .0005" (superfine); below are close-ups of each.  As you might expect, cost varies inversely with layer thickness: the same part will cost about four times as much with .0005" layers as with .002" layers. Medium (.002") models have a honeycombed texture inside a solid skin.  This speeds up the build and saves on material, but it weakens the part, because the honeycombed area is not as strong as solid wax.  Fine and superfine models are completely solid. Each photo below is linked to a larger version that shows full detail.  The background is a sheet of drawing paper.  These photos are B/W to enhance the detail; in life the material is dark green. A 1 5/8"-long part built with medium (.002") layers.  This thickness is a good value for parts that are not too detailed.  A #3 file or a coarse rubber point would be suitable for polishing out this texture.  This part is 1" long, with a higher level of detail using fine (.001") layers.  The incised rings are .008" deep, close to the smallest feature size that will register, and the raised "P" is a little less than 1/16" tall.  This layer thickness is used for most jewelry. The same part with superfine (.0005") layers.  This expensive setting - three times as costly as fine - is used for highly detailed designs and for mold masters.