-Stereolithography, the modern technology behind most resin 3D prints, is often referred to as 'the mother of all 3D printing technologies' as well as is taken into consideration one of one of the most commonly made use of strategies for generating top quality 3D prints. Below at Materialise, we have actually been making use of Stereolithography given that 1990. Time to speak a little bit more concerning this technology and also our most recent resins.
3D Printer Laser Resin
The Innovation: It's about UV Lasers
The innovation behind (most) resin 3D prints is called Stereolithography. And also right here's the one-minute description of how Stereolithography functions:
- In the very first instance, the roller of the printer spreads out a razor-thin layer of liquid polymer. Since this layer is fluid, it will certainly spread out over the whole platform ensuring that each layer has a consistent density
- The liquid polymer we use is UV delicate. When struck by a computer-controlled UV laser, the resin will certainly transform from a liquid to solid state. Primarily, the laser "attracts" the lays out of the print onto the resin layer and also hardens the components that it touches.
The parts that are not touched by the laser will certainly continue to be liquid
- These 2 actions are repeated over and over and over again. The version is reduced by a fraction, as well as the roller spreads out a brand-new layer. The laser then solidifies certain areas of that layer, which will certainly enter into your 3D print. This is repeated up until the design is finished
Once the printing process is completed and also the entire object has actually been published, the print is elevated from the resin container. The excess fluid will simply move away and also can be reused for other prints. The prints then have to be gotten rid of and finished by hand (i.e. eliminate assistance structure, smoothen surfaces, spray-paint surfaces, etc.).
The Resins: From Tiny Information And Facts to Mammoth-Size
There is more than one product made use of with this technology. As a matter of fact, we offer 4 different Stereolithography-based materials that featured their very own qualities. However, these materials likewise share some features: they feature smooth surface areas and are terrific for post-processing.
Mammoth resin: Mammoth resin is published on one of the most significant printers around ... you thought it, the Materialise Mammoth printers (that's also the printer you saw in the video above). Formerly this resin was called Paintable resin. These printers can print large components up to a dimension of 2100x700x800 mm, which can be spray-painted in a number of shades.
Transparent resin: Also published on our Monstrous printers, Transparent resin is (surprise, surprise) clear and also can be purchased in a number of colors. As a matter of fact, it is the only transparent product that we currently provide at i.materialise.com. It can likewise be gotten for components approximately a size of 2100x700x800 mm.
Gray resin: Gray resin is the excellent all-rounder. It includes a terrific degree of detail, is suitable for little as well as mid-size models, and also features a smooth, grey surface. This gray shade makes it perfect for hand- or spray-painting tasks. That's why this resin is so prominent among the range modeling community.
Standard resin: Our latest enhancement to the resin family members. Standard resin comes at a low-budget cost while delivering really thorough outcomes. To conserve some even more loan, you could even get Conventional resin with assistance framework, meaning much less time invested in post-processing.