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Epoxy casting resin

Generally thought of as an industrial product and expensive for hobbyists and home users, has become a thing of the past with the increase in demand for the materials. The most common place you have seen the product used would be in flooring or the surfaces of counters where things are encapsulated within the material.

picture of epoxy resin set

Wood cast 30 epoxy resin

As a preface to the below information it is good to note that you broadly get 2 types of resin, namely a laminating resin and a casting resin. The laminating resins are designed to be layered up alongside filler material such as fibre glass 1-2mm at a time. The heat is needed to cure the product and in thin layers it is necessary to generate the heat while setting.

Casting resins are designed to be poured in greater volumes of 10mm or more, but you can pour a large area at once. The resin has a lower set temperature (exothermic process), to allow this to happen without the danger of it cracking as it is unable to dissipate the heat. The best demonstration of this is if you cast 100 ml or more of standard fiberglass resin and catalyse it and leave it in a container, it will crack, whereas the casting resin will retain its integrity….
So boring aside, but it is important to understand the terminology when looking at these materials and considering them for a hobby or even a new business opportunity.

In recent years, epoxy resin has often been used in the making of costume jewellery and paperweights as a cheaper alternative to the crystal-clear polyurethane resins, and less post-production work of crystal-clear polyester resin. The main reason for this change is that in the past epoxy resin has been greatly restricted to the thickness of the layer you could pour or work with, making it mostly used as a laminating material of no more then 1-2mm thick. With advances in chemical engineering and modern materials, you can now cast the epoxy in layers of up to 10mm thick without the danger of excessive heat causing the material to discolour and crack. To achieve desired thickness of over 10mm it is a matter of casting several layers one after another and allowing cooling time between layers. The greater thickness has come with a price of extended cure times of up to 8 hours between layers, and 18 hours till the surface is tack free. Leave the epoxy for 3-5 days, environmental conditions effecting set time, to achieve full cure. Most recently we have seen the new epoxy resins been used in making the most amazing wooden furniture, where the gaps in the wood are filled with resin of various colours or entirely 2 separate pieces of wood been joined with epoxy to make what has become to be called river tables, galaxy eggs and many other new features.

The epoxy has superior strength and durability of a lot of the traditional clear casting resins, UV resistant, heat, and been able to work within humid environments, and last but not least, the epoxy resin is also a self-levelling product which is important if you are going to be doing wooden tables with the epoxy.

Some basic things you can make with the Epoxy resin

  • River tables,
  • Jewellery,
  • Paper weights,
  • Organite

To order or discuss your requirements please contact AMT Composites to go to https://www.amtcomposites.co.za/product