Adventures in Resin Printing: One users experience

Thanks for having a look. This is a series of my own experiences mostly laid out by community lead myth’s and topic. I will try to keep the edits to this OP. So if you ask questions, they might just pop up here so every one can see them.

My printer is better than yours:
Maybe, Probably. Not sure I care. Some one always has something better, I am not in the game to play keeping up with the Jones. I ordered a promotional for an AnyCubic Photon with 2x 1ltr bottles of their green resin. Some how the order was switched to the Photon Zero. They insisted I made the choice, but it wasn’t even an option since the Zero promo included grey Resin. A few week later the Mono X came out… Now that was a better printer. Who has the best I don’t really know. I looked for a moment and I at the time, I would have said Mono X. But that was like 2 years ago. For now, it’s done what I need and I have been mostly satisfied with the results. I thinks that’s about all that’s really important.

Old Resin cannot be Reused:
A complaint I have seen over and over is that the resin left to sit in a reservoir will harden or break down. But I have never seen that myself. I mean I work with several kinds or 2 part resin epoxy compounds and the clear stuff always hardens, some over several months, some in a matter of days just for having been opened! My reservoir I have left sit full or at 1/4, and for weeks to months, without touching it. Then pop the cover, check the head, submerge, check for bubbles and start print. I keep mine at work. The temp in here might be in the 40s-60s, it might be in the 70s-90s. The trick might be the way the Zero is laid out. The hood is solid, no vents, and sits a about an 1.5in bellow the edge of the reservoir. This trick might well be helping to keep the stuff. Lid is also always on tight to the base, there is no special seal but it does sit completely and there is very little spec for air flow other than to out gas. I have done this over winters and summers, with green and black resins. No, sorry I have not kept a detailed log, so this is strictly personal experience, no science.

What Resins do you use?
The Resins I have in my printer are the Anycubic basic green translucent, Weisteck ABS LIKE Black, and SIRAYA Tech Fast Smoky Black. I often mix the two blacks. The smoky is cloudy dark blue, similar to the green in terms of durability and printer settings. The ABS like black is kinda soft and flexy, never really gets fully hard, and the settings need to be tweaked. Mixing the two produces decent results, though I am not going to tell you to repeat any of this, only that this is what I do.

It’s only good for making models:
I am not a resin expert but I chose the resins for their advertised durability. I have made tools, they were then reworked and tooled to be exactly what was needed. One was even used for tooling custom filament throats for a FDM printer. So more than durable enough.

If Resin leaks into the printer, its all over:
Yes I would agree, for most of us. You must take care of your FEP. If it leaks, it can get into the LCD. If you don’t know that has happened and you test start the machine you now harden that resin and its over. I dissembled mine and over a few days fully cleaned it out. Found all the drips, then reassembled. I did need a new PolyCarbonate lens and a new LCD. But that was about it. The polycarbonate I sourced and cut to spec by hand. The LCD, I ordered from any cubic along with new Dust seals and FEP inserts for the Photon Zero.

Dust seals repel resin:
False. Dust seals seem to be made from some kind of electrical tape cut with a Cricut. If they get resin on them, they break down and wrinkle up. The resin will then drip inside your printer. The seal is really only there to protect against dust.

You should clean FEP often:
False. I would recommend if possible, NEVER EVER touch your FEP. If you are made of cash, change the FEP with often. Otherwise, don’t touch it unless necessary. Just cleaning it, with solvent will damage it. The longer you can keep resin in that tray and keep getting good prints the better the results will be. Once you clean it, you get fine scratches in the sheet and they will effect fine details. If you manage to break the FEP or puncture it. Just hope, you don’t.

Resin printers have strong fumes:
I have never noticed. A coworker says yes. The machine when new made a stink but as I broke it in, the smell diminished. The resin has a mild odor, but nothing serious. Now my wash bins, they have a potent smell, and that’s with exposure filtering.

IPA can’t be reused:
I don’t waste it. I have two washes, a pre exposure and a post exposure. There is always some little droplet or sheen to be washed off. I will expose the tubs, then filter. I also expose the filters and any towels used to clean up. That way nothing being thrown out is toxic, it is always hardened. The cleaned IPA some times holds dyes, but is otherwise clear and ready to use again.

You have to use the AnyCubic software or it wont work:
I use software from Mango 3D, called Lychee. I do pay a yearly fee for the premium features, no ads, cloud backup, supports, etc. Though I don’t use the software that often, it has evolved quickly and become a very powerful tool. Not sure what else is out there now. But at the time, the alternatives were too frustrating to sit and wait for them to work.
Average export time is about 15-90 seconds.

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2 years later… Seems to be a theme here.

My printer is better than yours: MYTH
Yup still don’t care. And really I think no one else should either. Unless you have cash to just throw for fun. Find something that does what you need and settle in for the fight. I’ve seen many great machines and in time I will update. But for now it does what I need and I am skilled enough to repair it and keep it in working order. I dread when it has an actual failure I cannot repair. But I am also skilled enough to know there isn’t much I cannot fix, cannot replace. At this time thats literally just the LCD.
The only other issue is the FEP? Ya, don’t buy a machine that demands custom made FEP.

All that said Ive printed some really high quality stuff on this machine. The only way I can see this being better is if I could reduce the distance to the LCD from the FEP and prevent it from flexing as much. But thats a full redesign of the machine and tray. Maybe someday when this thing really does fail for good, I will rebuild it into a monster.

Old Resin cannot be Reused: MYTH
I am doubling down on this. Really the secret sauce is likely the way the printer is assembled. The lid is air tight, it sits 1.25 inches under the edge of the vat. I suppose making a extra tight gas seal. The resin has never gotten hard and its spent months at a time just sitting, between uses.
-This goes for every resin I have used.

What Resins do you use?
Anycubic basic green translucent, Anycubic Standard resin + clear, Weistek ABS LIKE Black, and SIRAYA Tech Fast Smoky Black, Siraya Tech Craft Pro 12k clear.

It’s only good for making models: MYTH
I have made lots of tools. Depending on the material, it can be crafted to be clear like a lens or durable, sanded and tooled like any plastic. Mind I have yet to find really good high quality ultra durable resin. But I have been pleased with most of what I have used.

Dust seals repel resin: MYTH
Sticking to this one. Don’t ever depend on tape to stop a leak. Pay attention to your tray, and all drips around it. Check your tray often, carefully. Make sure the FEP is clean and undamaged.
What that tape really does, is prevent dust between the layers of the LCD and down inside the emitter. The Tape also seals off the edges of the LCD that are either inactive or incapable of being activated, where light can get around and create an issue. Without the tape, you can get walls on the FEP or attached to the build plate. So replace the seal but don’t depend on it for anything other than a border.

You should clean FEP often: MYTH
You should clean your FEP often, don’t drain and wash unless needed, ie to change resin types or color. I only drain when changing resin. But I do clean often, since stuff falls in. I take a plastic fork to gently search for bits in the resin and stuck to the FEP. If really needed, one can always filter the resin and pour it back into the vat. But one should never scrape, scrub, or wipe the FEP. FEP is super soft and easily damaged or scratched. Certain prints, and especially failed prints will permanently deform or scratch the FEP.

Resin is crazy Toxic: I have been warned
I am lucky, I have no sensitivity. I don’t like the feel of it on my hands. It’s slick then tacky. If it sits it might cause light irritation.I wash everything often with 90% ISO and bathe everything in UV after the wash. All used cloths are UV exposed to make sure there is no uncured resin being thrown away. Cured resin is supposed to be safe. The annoying thing is that resin cures middle out, so there is almost always a thin outer layer that refuses to cure.

Resin makes gas: FACT
Resin out gasses which can make small bubbles. It can make smoke when curing paper towels that have been used in clean up. It also gets very hot, shrinks post cure, and discolors. Yes UV exposure will discolor the resin. If you get even a droplet on you and its exposed to UV it will get very hot very fast, it will burn you.

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Thanks for the detailed update. I purchased a cheap one a while ago to play with and have yet to try it. When I find the time, I will dust it off and see what it can do.

Every machine has its value. Its up to the maker to figure out how best to get that value. :slight_smile:

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