If you want a print with incredible strength and exact details, 3D printing with resin might be your best bet. Despite its remarkable success, it can be challenging to fortify your resin prints to their highest level of durability.
To learn how to make solid and less brittle resin 3D prints. We’ll walk you through each step and provide professional advice. Move along!
Reduce your resin prints’ brittleness by:
1. Reduce the Isopropyl Alcohol Contact Time
One disadvantage of resin printing is the lengthy post-processing required after printing. Before removing the print from the bed, the resin must first be cured and dehydrated by washing it with isopropyl alcohol. Washing is necessary to remove debris and unused resin. You help to ensure a smooth, non-sticky, and non-tacky finish by doing this.
While prolonged immersion in the solution can make your print more fragile, isopropyl alcohol is a miracle worker for removing uncured resin. Two to three minutes should be enough time for your print to come into contact with isopropyl alcohol. If alcohol is present for a longer time, the resin may become more fragile.
Another strategy for limiting alcohol exposure has been promoted. Two containers are filled with fresh isopropyl alcohol during this process. Dip your print into the first one to eliminate any remaining sticky substance. Place your printout in the other container after removing it from the first. Because the alcohol won’t become overly saturated with the remaining uncured resin, doing this enables you to soak your print for less time while still getting good results.
Washing Alternatives to Isopropyl Alcohol:
Some users have suggested alternative washing methods without isopropyl alcohol to reduce brittleness. These methods can keep you from ever having to deal with over-cured prints, despite being less dependable than using alcohol. The best method of cleaning is with an ultrasonic cleaner. It’s not necessary to use isopropyl alcohol for this; you can also use water or another all-purpose cleaner. Investing in one of these tools that resemble water picks can have multiple uses because it can clean various things, including jewelry.
Although using pressured water and gentle cleaners is safer for the print, they don’t always remove uncured resin as efficiently as alcohol. You may therefore need to spend some time cleaning your model before using this procedure.
2. Choosing the Right Resin Print Curing
Cure Resin 3D Prints: Image Source: tomshardware.com
You shouldn’t skip the curing step in the post-processing process either. This step is crucial for hardening the print, so skimping on it or doing it excessively could make it fragile.
Avoid UV light underexposure or under-curing:
The resin and photons from ultraviolet or UV radiation interact, making it sturdy and durable. If the resin print is underexposed or left unattended, the photons may not have enough time to interact with it, making it more brittle. You can expect your resin print to be either extremely sticky, gooey, or flexible.
It’s important to remember that different kinds of resin printers and resin have ideal exposure times. As a result, you would need to calibrate your printer each time you make a new resin print using a new liquid resin. You also need to be familiar with the proper settings for the resin you are using. Therefore, carrying out research before beginning a project would be advantageous.
Running a few test prints might also be necessary to feel more confident in your work. Print a model several times to determine which exposure time yields the best results. After that, don’t forget to record the ideal settings so you can recall them later. You can tape a piece of duct tape to the resin bottle and then use a permanent marker to jot down the ideal exposure times and other settings on the tape. As a result, you will always know how to set up the printer whenever you take the resin off the shelf.
Avoid excessive UV exposure or over-curing:
If the resin print is exposed to too much UV light, it might become overly rigid and fragile. Discover the resin’s ideal exposure times, similar to those previously mentioned. It would also be great to work in a room with little sunlight. Because sunlight is also a UV light source, places with many windows or bright lighting may expose you to too much UV radiation.
To limit UV light exposure, you might wish to work in a garage or hang blackout drapes or shades. You can alternatively begin the post-processing at night.
3. Paint the resin or cover it with a UV blocker
The resin print may eventually become less durable due to exposure to sunlight and other UV light sources, even after finishing curing and other post-processing steps. To avoid this, you can seal the print and use paint or a UV blocker to stop the resin from reacting further with UV light photons.
An example of a UV blocker is Krylon’s UV-Resistant Clear Coating. It is a spray-on sealer that comes in matte or gloss finishes. Thanks to their moisture resistance and lack of fading, your prints will be safeguarded against UV degradation and gross stickiness that can accumulate over time.
4. Maintain a Warm and Well-Ventilated Workspace
Always take safety precautions when working with resin, such as in a well-ventilated area. To avoid injuries caused by fumes, there must be adequate ventilation. In addition to keeping you safe, it also makes your resin print last longer.
Conditions that are too dry and cold cause resin prints to become harder and more fragile. Avoid working in such environments, and make your workspace cozier and lighter.
5. Create a Hollow Resin Print
Using resin 3D slicers to design and slice prints, making them hollow rather than solid. Less resin is used as a result, which helps the environment. However, in addition to the advantages for business, keeping your models hollow also makes them stronger. It reduces the effect of shrinkage and stops the model from contracting, which lowers the likelihood of cracking and prevents interior under-curing.
However, if you select a hollow design, there may be additional post-processing steps, like covering and smoothing the hole where the resin exits.
6. Calibrate Your Resin 3D Printer
Proper calibration is essential to produce resin prints of exceptional quality and durability. Common exposure tests can be used to calibrate your resin 3D prints. Use the XP2 Validation Matrix Model, for instance. Testing is crucial to getting the calibration and settings right if you are a more practical person. Find your printer’s “sweet spot” by testing it before printing anything.
Exposure time calibration with the XP2 Validation Matrix Model
Numerous prints of it at various exposure times are necessary to calibrate exposure time using this model. The prints can be compared to determine which setting produced the best resin print.
Additionally, you can examine the print of the XP2 Validation Matrix Model for signs of underexposure or overexposure. For instance, a gap in the middle of the infinity symbol could indicate underexposure. A glob could also appear in place of an opening due to overexposure.
The poor and smudged appearance of the rectangular lines may be due to underexposure or overexposure.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4707289
Exposure Calibration Test is Included with Anycubic SLA Printers:
If you recently purchased or already possess an Anycubic SLA printer, it comes with a Resin Exposure Range Finder. Another calibration test is being carried out to establish the ideal exposure time.
Similar to the XP2 Validation Matrix Model, it is a trial-and-error process where you print multiple copies using different exposure settings and then select which produced the best resin print. In addition to the regular exposure time, you might also need to adjust the bottom exposure time.
You must consider that compared to the XP2 Validation Matrix Model, the RERF requires more time and money in terms of resources.
Other Calibration Techniques
To optimize the settings on your 3D printer, you can also run additional calibration tests, like AmeraLabs Town. Though each resin brand and type vary, if at all possible, calibrate before printing each project.
Even though each resin might have unique characteristics that give a model a unique personality, these qualities can only be obtained through precise calibration.
7. Choose a Durable or Flexible Resin
Generally speaking, printing with resin produces less robust prints than FDM printing. Although resin tends to be more brittle than filament, not all resins are equally fragile. In light of this, you would need to select a more flexible, strong, or durable resin type depending on the property you want to achieve.
3D Printing Mould:
You can design your molds in 3D using various 3D design software, but you should pick a user-friendly one, so you don’t have to spend a lot of time getting used to it. SelfCAD is an easy-to-use program that people of all skill levels can use. SelfCAD offers robust tools that can help you prepare your molds regardless of their complexity. These 3D printing molds make it possible to produce large quantities of durable goods and uniform designs.
Conclusion
Resin printing has gained popularity due to the high quality of its output and rising affordability. Resin producers for 3D printing are also constantly producing stronger and better resins without compromising quality. This is crucial because selecting a sturdy resin will make your resin prints less brittle. You can change the resin’s model, brand, alcohol contact time, cure time, calibration settings, and product design to increase its endurance. Other options include painting over the print with UV-blocking paint or working in warmer, more airy conditions.
Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook page to let us know your ideas, and we would appreciate seeing pictures of your works of art!
