-Stereolithography, the technology behind most resin 3D prints, is frequently described as 'the mommy of all 3D printing modern technologies' and is considered among one of the most extensively made use of techniques for generating top notch 3D prints. Here at Materialise, we have been using Stereolithography given that 1990. Time to speak a bit much more regarding this technology as well as our newest materials.
3D Resin Printers
The Technology: It's about UV Lasers
The modern technology behind (most) resin 3D prints is called Stereolithography. And also right here's the one-minute description of just how Stereolithography works:
- In the initial instance, the roller of the printer spreads out a razor-thin layer of fluid polymer. Given that this layer is liquid, it will expand over the entire platform making certain that each layer has a regular density
- The fluid polymer we utilize is UV delicate. When struck by a computer-controlled UV laser, the resin will certainly alter from a fluid to strong state. Primarily, the laser "draws" the describes of the print onto the resin layer and hardens the parts that it touches.
The parts that are not touched by the laser will certainly continue to be liquid
- These 2 steps are repeated over and over as well as over again. The version is decreased by a portion, and also the roller expands a new layer. The laser then strengthens particular areas of that layer, which will enter into your 3D print. This is duplicated till the version is ended up
When the printing process is completed as well as the entire things has been printed, the print is raised out of the resin container. The excess fluid will just move away and can be reused for various other prints. The prints after that need to be removed and finished manually (i.e. eliminate assistance structure, smoothen surface areas, spray-paint surfaces, etc.).
The Materials: From Tiny Details to Mammoth-Size
There is greater than one material utilized with this innovation. As a matter of fact, we offer 4 different Stereolithography-based materials that all come with their very own attributes. Nevertheless, these resins also share some features: they showcase smooth surface areas and are terrific for post-processing.
Mammoth resin: Mammoth resin is published on among the largest printers out there ... you thought it, the Materialise Mammoth printers (that's also the printer you saw in the video over). Previously this resin was known as Paintable resin. These printers could publish huge components approximately a size of 2100x700x800 mm, which can be spray-painted in numerous shades.
Transparent resin: Additionally printed on our Monstrous printers, Clear resin is (shock, surprise) transparent as well as can be gotten in a number of shades. In fact, it is the only clear material that we presently provide at i.materialise.com. It can likewise be bought for parts as much as a dimension of 2100x700x800 mm.
Gray resin: Gray resin is the fantastic all-rounder. It includes an excellent degree of detail, is suitable for small as well as mid-size versions, and showcases a smooth, gray surface. This grey color makes it best for hand- or spray-painting tasks. That's why this resin is so popular amongst the scale modeling neighborhood.
Standard resin: Our latest enhancement to the resin family members. Standard resin comes at a low-budget cost while providing really comprehensive outcomes. To conserve some even more money, you can also order Conventional resin with support structure, meaning less time spent in post-processing.