What resin printer should I get?
What resin printer should I get?
I’ve been doing 3d printing with PLA/PETG/ABS for about 10 years and I’m looking to try resin. I’m not all that familiar with the workflow besides knowing it’s UV cured. Is all curing done in the same machine? What are the reputable brands? What kind of build volumes are available?
The process is generally: Slice Print with resin printer Clean in ipa bath to remove excess resin Air dry Cure in a uv enclosure
My knowledge is limited but from my experience Formlabs printers are high quality and as close to plug and print as you'll get. The proprietary slicer is very good but also somewhat limited. Also Formlabs printers are expensive.
I've also used an Elegoo Saturn 2. There's a lot of hassle involved but the printer and resin are much cheaper and you have a lot more freedom with materials, slicers, customization, etc.
I've used formlabs printers at work. They are great, but using them has persuaded me to not purchase my own. Most prints, I use three pair of disposable gloves. That resin and the IPA wash (which has a lot of dissolved resin) make really annoying messes. We've already lost one Form Wash due to people being careless and leaving the lid up. The IPA with resin will set over time.
You can't pour the stuff down the drain. One user tried putting really contaminated IPA in a tray and sticking it in our chemical hood to dissolve (while myself or the lab manager wasn't there to stop him). We had a surprise safety audit like we do on occasion and were cited for leaving this huge batch of flammable material out in the open.
We ended up getting a dedicated flammable cabinet for resin IPA. At the end of the week, I'll turn on the Form Wash and let it stir the wash IPA for a few minutes. While it's still stirring, I transfer it to a couple of three liter jugs and place them in the flammables cabinet. It sits for a couple of days and a lot of solids settle to the bottom of the container. Then the top 80%-90% of the IPA is carefully poured back into the wash chamber without stirring up sediment on the bottom. Fresh IPA is used to top off the wash. The cloudy wash in the bottom of the jug is poured into yet another jug. Once that jug is full, it sits for a week to settle in the flammables cabinet. We can usually capture the top 10% and pour it (through a filter) back into our main wash solution, the rest is capped and left exposed to light for several days/weeks to set, and then is disposed of in our hazardous waste.
Even with all of this settling to keep our wash solution as clean as we can, eventually, it will become too contaminated to use (formlabs recommends changing the liquid at a particular density).
It's a messy process and people still get gloves damp and touch the cure station and get resin prints everywhere. We leave IPA wipes on the counter and go though a pack of those every two weeks trying to keep the resin print area clean. I like the print quality and ease of getting a print. But after using the one at work, I decided not to get one at home.
Imagine how much messier the Saturn is if I tell you it's much messier than the FL
The only open source option is the Prusa, and it is pricey. All of the other options are proprietary and most are trying to bait customers into subscription services. Most also require cloud network access. This will never really change as far as the community software support. The issue is the display drivers for almost all high definition display technology is proprietary. Most hardware is unique in its implementation and API, so reverse engineering is only valid for one revision of one device. The data is hard to decode too. Anyone with a lab capable of reverse engineering is unlikely to have the time and motivation for such a limited return.
I'm not saying you shouldn't buy one. This is just something to be aware of going in.
Generally, the resin is cured partially on the build plate, then the part is removed and washed, and finally the part is cured with a UV lamp or station.
Im personally very satisfied with the Mars series from Elegoo. Got the old Elegoo Mars (1) Pro, but thinking of an upgrade soon for slightly bigger print space.
Build volume is usually around 60x60x180mm and up to double that for the bigger ones.
Printing procedure goes: supporting and slicing (supports vary greatly from FDA printers, you make a few strategic "fingers" instead of low-fill platforms), printing, cleaning (in a separate alcoholic bath), and curing (in a separate curing box).
Some printers can do both printing and curing, though I have no experience with those.
Also, be aware that resin plays a big role, and that different types of resin need different settings for different printers. I'm personally very fond of the eSun resin from fepshop.com.
At last, please don't put your resin printer anywhere near your living room or any closed room inside your house for that matter. Even if it has filters, the garage is a great place to put it. But this comes with a problem, as the printer needs a stable, ~25°C temperature, which you usually don't have in the garage. I've built myself a "hotbox" for this purpose. The hotbox also shields for sunlight when doors are open, so you don't have to worry when entering or leaving the garage. Just make sure to shade all doors and windows when opening the printer. And don't forget masks and rubber gloves.
Does the temperature stability requirement mean it is difficult to print larger items that may take overnight?
If you put it into a temperature regulated environment, then no. If you have it standing unregulated where night will cause a large (+-5~10°C) change in temperature, then yes.
Also, when printing for more than ~16 hours the resin might set, resulting in minor color changes, or bad prints if allowed to set for more than a day. So even if you intend to continue printing, you should clean the resin basin at least once every day.
@charmed_electron printer type and size depends on what you want. Consider the software to use on it, printers may only like some slices. I've found FDM and Resin printers to be complimentary. I'd agree with person about getting a suitable space. I use my loft, getting a place away from you main living space is needed. Temperature is an issue but settings can account for some of this.
I think of my FDM printer as mechanical tool to build things. My resin printer feels more like cooking!@charmed_electron oh and proper personal protective equipment is must. I use decent mask that will remove solvents from sir.
Besides the need for clean air to deal with the solvent, does an active printer smell the way say ABS does?