Customizable Epoxy Soap Dish

prusaprinters

OverviewI've always needed a soap dish in my kitchen to hold soap dispensers and help the excess water drain into the sink.  The problem with traditional 3D printed soap dishes is that a 3D printed plastic part is not exactly waterproof because of the different layers.  Sure, there are different filament materials and acetone smoothing methods that could help make a waterproof 3D print, but I wanted to stick with basic PLA and still be able to have interesting 3D patterns to add depth.  So, I decided to use pourable epoxy, which could help make a smooth, waterproof surface for draining water while still showing the patterns beneath the surface.I designed the soap dish in two parts.  The base is what the tray fits into and as slanted to help drain water.  The tray is designed to hold soap, soap dispensers, etc and is actually intended to be printed without top or bottom layers.  This will expose the infill patterns, which can then be filled in with the epoxy. PrintingThere are three parts to this print.  I printed using PLA on the Prusa i3 MK3 for all three, and played with different color filaments for the base and tray until I found a pair I was happy with.I printed with a 0.4mm nozzle and 0.2mm layer height.  Since the prints don't take that long with those settings, I don't recommend increasing nozzle size or layer height as it will make the slanted sections of the base more rough.  Decreasing nozzle size and layer height will increase print time but could result in an overall smoother print.The base print will require supports, but very little at that and they are easy to remove afterwards.The tray should be printed using the attached G-code files, which are modified to expose the infill patterns.  If you would like to re-slice the STL to work better with your printer, it will be important to set the horizontal shell solid layers on the top and bottom to zero.  I also recommend increasing the vertical shell perimeters to be at least 5, which will help make the tray more rigid so it doesn't break when removing it from the print bed.  Lastly, I do not recommend using glue on the print bed since the infill patterns will be a little fragile and you'll want the print to easily release from the bed to prevent damage.The last part of this print is the assembly fixture.  This is really just going to be used to help level the soap dish when pouring the epoxy.  It prints quickly and is definitely a better option than trying to level the soap dish manually. AssemblyThe assembly is pretty quick, and I've added the assembly fixture part to make the process as simple as possible.A) Fit the tray into the base with the correct orientation (see attached photos).  I used a little quick-dry super glue around the edges to help hold it in place while I poured the epoxy.B) Position the assembly fixture on the middle support on the bottom of the base, as shown below.  Note that the fixture should slide onto the support in the direction shown by the arrow.Once the fixture is supporting the base, the soap dish should be horizontal.C) Mix and pour the epoxy, following the manufacturer's instructions.  I recommend using a deep pour epoxy (Ex. Alumilite Amazing Deep Pour) since the dish is about 5/16 inches deep.  Some epoxies will have lower pour depths per layer, so those will require you to pour and cure multiple layers.  It's very important to mix and pour the epoxy slowly to prevent bubbles and allow the epoxy to fill all of the cracks and cervices of the base and tray.  Be very careful when pouring to avoid overflow.  The ideal fill level is just above the top of the infill pattern on the tray so the epoxy covers all of the plastic to form a solid top layer.D) Let the epoxy cure.E) Enjoy your new soap dish!Please like it if you do and leave any comments!Check out my TikTok!Check out my YouTube!If you like what you see, please consider contributing to my Patreon.