Resin(SLA/DLP/LCD) 3D Printing

Photocuring (SLA/DLP/LCD) 3D printing is one of the most popular 3D printing technologies which can create prototypes with very high quality, fine features (thin walls, sharp corners, etc.) and complex geometric shapes. Although this technology has so many advantages, the 3D models may still be very rough if you are not familiar with slicing, printing skills, etc. In fact, the quality of 3D printing has a lot to do with the equipment, materials and slicer. We can improve the quality of 3D printing by just adjusting the following settings. Download ChiTuBox:  https://www.chitubox.com/download.html Layer height (mm) As the name implies, layer height is the exact height of each cured layer. Layer thickness not only affects the speed (printing time), but aslo the quality of each print. The number of layers required to create an object determines the printing speed and thus the printing time required. The thinner the layer thickness, the longer it takes to make a 3D printed objec...

The surface quality in 3D printing varies greatly as there are many factors to affect it such as layer thickness, print speed, part orientation and ect. This article discusses how to improve surface quality in 3D printing by optimizing part orientation. We put the same model in different positions in ChiTubox which form a certain angle with the vertical plane as 0 degree, 30 degrees, 45 degrees and 90 degrees. Except 90 degrees, the models are positioned in a square and rhombus at each degree angle because those two shape have different cross-sections during the 3D printing process. Download ChiTuBox:  https://www.chitubox.com/download.html So we get 7 models in total, numbered 1-7 (0°Square Orientation, 0°rhombus Orientation, 30°Square Orientation, 30°rhombus Orientation, 45°Square Orientation, 45°rhombus Orientation, 90°Orientation). In general, the angle is preferentially 45 degrees. But it still needs to be tested. In the following content, we’ll evaluate the...

For a bottom-up stererolithography 3D printer, the most common failure would be the adhesion problem which means that you only get support and raft structures on the build plate after 3D printing instead of the intended object. In this case you will see part of the model still sticking to build plate and part of it sticking to resin vat. Though this experience is so frustrating, sometimes you even get nothing on the build plate and only raft/bottom sticking to resin vat. So before solveing this issue, let’s make clear why the raft/bottom is not sticking to build plate first. Most of the reasons why the raft/bottom is not sticking to build plate are related to the build plate and the first layer. If the build plate is not flat, you will likely have adhesion problems and possible failures especially when you are attempting large prints. The slant raft or bottom may cause the failures for the generation of supports. Then the print job fails. Besides, if the distance between the scr...

Maybe plate leveling is a somewhat cockamamie process because you pretty much have to re-level the plate if you have moved your vat or plate and sometimes it's hard to get it perfect. But while using a bottom-up 3D printer, it is necessary to periodically calibrate or level the build plate before printing. Why Do you Need to Level the Build Plate?  1.If the build plate is not flat, you will likely have adhesion problems and possible failures especially when you are attempting large prints. 2.And the raft or bottom will aslo not be flat if the build plate not being leveled properly. The layers that are closely connected to the build plate will be thinker. The raft or bottom could have looked slant which may even affect the accuracy of the print. 3.The slant raft or bottom may cause the failures for the generation of supports. Then the print job fails. Fortunately, the print below was finally successful even some supports are missing. How to Level the Build Plat...

Resins are the perfect 3D printing materials if you are looking for smooth surfaces, high-quality, detailed prints and a wide variety of finishing and post-processing possibilities. Generally, resin is more expensive. The average 3D printer material cost for standard SLA resins is approximately $50 per liter. For some provide the best possible surface finish and special material properties like dental or ceramic resins, they can cost more. So saving considerable amount of resin material will be equal to save time and money. There are lots of ways to economize on resin costs, but here are five that you may have overlooked. Hollow out 3D models 3D printing materials is volume-based: the less the volume, the less the cost. To hollow out 3D models is meaningful. Two things to note are wall thickness and escape holes. Pushing the wall thickness to the minimum might seem like a way to save money. However, making walls too thin can make a model too fragile and might cause parts of it t...