-Stereolithography, the innovation behind many resin 3D prints, is frequently described as 'the mom of all 3D printing technologies' and also is taken into consideration among the most widely utilized strategies for generating high-quality 3D prints. Here at Materialise, we have been using Stereolithography considering that 1990. Time to speak a bit much more about this technology and our most recent materials.
Resin Based 3D Printer
The Technology: It's everything about UV Lasers
The modern technology behind (most) resin 3D prints is called Stereolithography. And below's the one-minute explanation of exactly how Stereolithography functions:
- In the first circumstances, the roller of the printer spreads out a razor-thin layer of liquid polymer. Given that this layer is fluid, it will certainly spread out over the whole system making sure that each layer has a consistent density
- The liquid polymer we use is UV sensitive. When struck by a computer-controlled UV laser, the resin will certainly transform from a fluid to strong state. Basically, the laser "attracts" the describes of the print onto the resin layer as well as hardens the components that it touches.
The components that are not touched by the laser will remain liquid
- These 2 steps are duplicated over and over and also over again. The model is decreased by a fraction, as well as the roller expands a brand-new layer. The laser then strengthens certain locations of that layer, which will certainly enter into your 3D print. This is duplicated until the design is completed
As soon as the printing process is completed as well as the whole item has actually been published, the print is raised out of the resin storage tank. The excess fluid will simply move away as well as can be reused for various other prints. The prints after that need to be gotten rid of and also ended up manually (i.e. remove support framework, smoothen surface areas, spray-paint surface areas, and so on).
The Resins: From Tiny Facts to Mammoth-Size
There is greater than one product used with this modern technology. As a matter of fact, we provide four different Stereolithography-based resins that had their own attributes. However, these resins likewise share some features: they showcase smooth surfaces and also are excellent for post-processing.
Mammoth resin: Mammoth resin is printed on one of the largest printers around ... you thought it, the Materialise Mammoth printers (that's also the printer you saw in the video above). Previously this resin was known as Paintable resin. These printers can print large parts as much as a dimension of 2100x700x800 mm, which can be spray-painted in numerous shades.
Transparent resin: Additionally published on our Massive printers, Clear resin is (surprise, shock) transparent and can be bought in numerous shades. In fact, it is the only clear product that we presently offer at i.materialise.com. It can additionally be ordered for parts approximately a dimension of 2100x700x800 mm.
Gray resin: Gray resin is the excellent all-rounder. It has a great level of information, appropriates for little and mid-size models, as well as features a smooth, gray surface area. This gray shade makes it best for hand- or spray-painting work. That's why this resin is so preferred amongst the scale modeling area.
Standard resin: Our most recent enhancement to the resin family members. Standard resin comes with a low-budget price while supplying extremely comprehensive results. To save some even more loan, you can even order Standard resin with assistance framework, suggesting much less time spent in post-processing.