Resin(SLA/DLP/LCD) 3D Printing

Adding support is always a headache when it comes to photo-curing SLA/DLP/LCD 3D printing. A lot of times, there will be problems about support structures appearing in the 3D printing process more or less. A typical situation is that parts of the support structured are missing or even broken. How to solve this situation? Improper Parameters Most of the time, the missing or broken support structures are caused by improper parameters, mainly related to those following parameters. Contact Depth of Top The deeper the contact depth, the deeper the support tip inserts into the model. We need to confirm that the contact depth is deep enough to win the tug of war between the build plate and the FEP film in the bottom of the vat. With luck, it may result in deformation or misrun in the joint part between 3D model and the broken supports. If you are unlucky, there is only the raft/bottom and support structures on the build plate while the model is not printed successfully at all. Also...

Photocuring 3D printing is often used for presenting intricate objects with accurate details. Most times, we need to add support structures for overhangings and bridges. Also to increase the adhesion to the build plate, prevent warping and avoid the prints being floated around in the vat, SLA/DLP/LCD 3D printing require the use of support structures in almost all cases. Support structures in SLA/DLP/LCD 3D printing is like thin ribs whose small tips are very thin and slightly touch the part to save resin material and make them easier to remove. The usage of support structures deeply impact the print quality after post-processing work and printing success rate. So when designing support structures in SLA/DLP/LCD 3D Printing, there really is a lot to consider. Take full advantage of slicer software For most designers especially the green hand, it's perplexed to detect when and where the support structures are needed. If there is a experienced mentor to give some reasonable sug...

3D Model: Siperman Resin: LCD Rigid Resin GS-B11 Slicer: ChiTuBox  V1.5.0 Model Source: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3306294 In ChiTuBox, there is a related parameter about support tips called "contact shape". You can choose "none" shape or "shepre" shape as shown below. Now let’s test the effect of these two shapes on the support removal and the surface quality of the object. Download ChiTuBox:  https://www.chitubox.com/download.html First, let’s deal with the "shepre" shape (label as No.1). According to the last test ( Improve Surface Quality in 3D Printing by Optimizing Part Orientation ), we put the sipderman in ChiTubox which form a certain angle with the vertical plane as 30 degrees to receive relatively good surface quality. The support structures are automatically generated by ChiTuBox, but then we manually adjust some. To ensure successful 3d printing and show how contact shapes affect support removal and surface quality, a...

After finishing the 3D printing process, we have to shovel the print or the failure (only raft and supports) away from build plate. Sometimes, some parts may stick to the bottom of resin vat which are also in need of removal. Due to the nettlesome support structures in Resin (SLA/DLP/LCD) 3D Printing, a lot of post-processing work has been left. There are a few tools that will make life easier when working with a resin 3D printer. So let’s highlight tools to remove support structures and rinse 3D object in resin (SLA/DLP/LCD) 3D printing. Nitril Gloves It's better to avoid contacting uncured resin with skin. Though it's not that toxic, there's nothing wrong to wear gloves when working with uncured resin. If resin gets on your skin, immediately wash it off with soap and warm water. As for allergies, everyone is different. Some people are allergic and some are not. Disposable Mask (Optional) Most uv-cured resins are methyl methacrylates which generally have a sm...