What resin printer should I get?

Submitted ⁨⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨charmed_electron@programming.dev⁩ to ⁨3dprinting@lemmy.world⁩

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?

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MicrosoftSam@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
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.

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Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I would probably say that if you aren’t already deeply aware of the build workflow that you probably should not buy one. Without a proper enclosure, a lot of shelf space, etc, Resin adds a considerable health hazard without much benefit. If you DO have a proper workshop set up with a proper enclosure fume hood, curing station, etc, it can be awesome.

But whereas you can get away with a filament printer with or without an enclosure (since the particles are pretty minimal), resin is a different beast. And if you don’t have a proper curing station set up you are going to get crap “prints”.

Filament is 100% the kind of thing you put on a filing cabinet at home. Resin is where you want a proper workshop or, preferably, to make friends with a local “maker space”.

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- charmed_electron@programming.dev ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  What are some causes of bad curing you’ve experienced?
  
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ekky43@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Im personally very satisfied with the Mars series from Elegoo. Got the old Elegoo Mars (1) Pro, but thinking of an upgrade soon.

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.

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j4k3@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
The only open source option in 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.

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