Resin 3D Printing Wasn't What I Expected. AT ALL.

[@Gamersb3stfri3nd]

I got to say, this video was scuffed, in the best way possible. A lot of 3D printing youtubers do their videos in a way where it seems like they are perfect everytime. And whilebthats beneficial whenbthe goal is just to communicate information, i really appreciate this more realistic look into the process. Because i think its very evident that your experience here is way more similar to what any of us would actually experience using resin for the first time, and you dont really get those expectations from other videos. I appreciate the sincerity of everything in this video

[@marguskevinsunter]

This! So much this! That's why I subscribed to channel in first place. Coz Jonathan is more like real person dealing with everyday problems (budget, size constraints, fails etc). Not 3D printing God, who has infinit budget, never makes mistakes and knows everything instantly all the time

[@IPrint3dMinis]

This was me two years ago. Now I run a resin print farm. They are amazing once you get used to it.

[@24-Card]

I never learned a thing from doing it right the first time. Mistakes and issues form the best understanding of any technology.

[@blacknovella]

I will give you my prespective.. i was an FDM guy, built my printers did my own firmware etc. I wanted to try resin so i got a mars 2 pro. I loved the detail, so much so it got me into painting, and now i have 4 resin machines, 1 mars 3 pro, 1 sat 2, 1 phenom forge, 1 m3 max. I dont use FDM anymore for anything. It def changed my life. Like seriously. I paint for majority of my income now.

[@robc9108]

so you print resin and paint them to sell. is this a fulltime income

[@darrenporter1850]

I'm looking to make, paint my own characters. What 3d printer would you reccomend? A Mars something? Obviously I would like all the little details... and best for price.

[@justinchamberlin4195]

I started my own resin printing journey a few weeks ago, and I prepared by watching a ton of videos and reading a ton of articles on suggestions for beginners - having a silicone work mat, having a big funnel to put those paint filters in when straining out resin or the wash liquid, using a hair dryer to get the alcohol off the print prior to post-curing, and having a room air purifier have all made things go quite smoothly. Also a big plus, though I don't know if it's always recommended for beginners, was getting a flex plate instead of having to chisel prints off of the stock build plate. For what it's worth, having the room air purifier and a box of disposable nitrile gloves has made me feel safe enough, though my intent one day is to put the resin printer inside a grow tent (possibly with some minor heating if needed) that is ventilated outdoors to really keep the fumes to a minimum. I got a Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K and the smaller Anycubic Wash & Cure station, and have so far printed with just two different resins: SirayaTech Blu Clear V2 and Elegoo ABS-Like Gray...the differences have been quite interesting so far, with the Blu being quite a bit more viscous and having a much stronger smell and the Elegoo resin needing a lot more work to get the exposure settings dialed in just right. I've done a few D&D miniatures, some jewelry-type items, and even a lithophane, something I tried and failed at with my Ender 3 a few years ago. I'm looking forward to trying to make much more than simple decorative pieces. Things I've read suggest mixing a flexible resin (such as SirayaTech Tenacious) with standard resins really helps improve the overall toughness of prints, whether for miniatures/terrain that see a lot of use or the more functional kinds of prints that are currently still the domain of FDM printers. I'm also having to constantly talk myself out of getting a small electric furnace and/or an electroplating setup (shoutout to Hen3Drik) so I can make metal jewelry with the resin printer...I'm probably one of the small number of people that would rather melt zinc or copper to make solid metal jewelry than try and paint something. All in all, great video! It's important for people looking to get into a hobby like this one that things won't always go according to plan and that troubleshooting is part of the learning process.

[@swdw973]

First- excellent video. I'm glad you showed the issues you had. For anyone watching this, it's worth spending rime watching videos on exposure and supports. Exposure first. The recommended default settings may or may not work depending on your room temperature. The further you are below 25 C, the longer the exposure time you need. The best way to determine this is using the "Cones of Calibration V2." Do a search example to find them. As for resins, all resins have different exposure times based on the manufacturer. Often the deviations are more than you see between manufacturers with the same type of filament. Then there are significant changes in exposure based on the resin type. Similar to the changes between filament types. ANY change in resin requires testing your exposure at a minimum. Try printing pre-supported models first as the automatic supports in most slicers can be hit or miss and you'll get frustrated by the support failures. Everything else he talks about regarding ventilation, safety, etc., is spot on.

[@bttvocalist]

you just gained a shit load of respect from me. Thank you for being up front and transparent about the bias in the video. Personally. I dont think it takes away from what is clearly displayed, personally. However, your clarity speaks volumes on your character and how you view your work. Definitely subscribed and excited to see more vid's. Thanks again.

[@herculeholmes504]

A word about 3D resin printing safety: It's not _that_ bad, but I would very much recommend to anyone who wants to get into 3D resin printing to first make sure that there is good ventilation and *extraction.* An open door or window won't help much if the fumes aren't actually being sucked out. I had no problem with my old Elegoo Mars 3 which is quite a small printer, but I immediately experienced toxic effects from the fumes when I replaced it with the bigger Elegoo Saturn 2. Don't take chances with your health or the health of anyone else who may be exposed to the fumes. Don't rely on a carbon filter; I've not seen any evidence yet that a carbon filter - even a big proper one - will remove VOC's. A mask is fine, but the bigger problem with 3D resin printing is that if the printer is inside the home, the heavier-than-air VOC fumes will slowly build up over the course of a few hours and you may begin to experience toxic effects. I certainly do. My solution was to move my printer outside into a shed away from the house (still a WIP - I'll have to slap together a DIY insulated and heated cupboard if I want to run it during the Winter months) but for those people who have no option but to print inside the home, grow-tents are recommended by some people, and I found out about a pretty cool device called a *hydroxyl generator* which neutralizes VOC's in an enclosed space. They're not cheap though.

[@BalanceAtTubas]

@@herculeholmes504 Any tips for extraction gear? I’m considering options for an area where I might set up a 3d printer and my wife may be doing jewelry making, which has its own fume concerns.

[@felixjohnson3874]

Carbon filters absolutely remove VOCs. Made With Layers even designed a cusyom sensor box and showed graphs of the PM and VOC counts before and after installing HEPA & carbon filters. (HEPA filters are not chemically reactive,only the carbon would have been doing anything to refuce VOCs) This is simply a well known chemical fact. You can even find a video by The Modern Rogue where they use activated carbon to make gas masks and test them with a high strength capscasin gas. With that said, some filters, notably the Nevermore Stealthmax, are going even further beyond and experimenting woth using UV light and metal meshes to break down VOCs even without carbon, so it's not the only option.

[@Luptonium]

My wife prints with resin. She loves it. But she worked with UV resin before 3d printing was a thing. Also it's not just for miniatures, it's more dimensionally accurate than fdm due to the smaller layer lines, so I feel you will find it fits in with what you typically print nicely.

[@ChristmasEve777]

I thought it's good for functional parts too. I do not have a resin printer yet but, from what I can see, you can buy special resin from places like Siraya Tech that has exceptional strength. Is it true that you can make things as strong (if not stronger) than with FDM printers? I say stronger because you don't have weak layer adhesion on the Z axis. So, other than the mess and noxious fumes, I see no downside to resin printing except for smaller build volumes.

[@richpaul6806]

@@ChristmasEve777 A lot of the material is not as strong as a lot of fdm materials, but the adhesion between layers is a lot better (I dont want to say all because there are certainly some very strong resins). The trick with FDM is to print in an orientation so that the force wont stress the adhesion between layers. Really the advantage of resin is greater dimensional accuracy. At work we mainly use pcabs on fdm printers but whenever we need tight tolerances on a snap or reduced friction on a moving part, or two forces in different directions where one will always split the layers we use the SLA printer. A downside of resin printing is the print time due to the smaller layer height. A small, not very complex part I started this afternoon had a print time of 22hrs. The same model might be 3 or 4 hours in fdm. 6hrs max.

[@krib1887]

@@richpaul6806 you gotta get the newer resin printers, I can make 6 faceplates at work in 22minutes, where it would take me 3-4hours on FDM. The new nFEP films are much faster!

[@christurner4799]

I bought my first resin printer this past winter, and once I got over the cold basement issues with a heating pad, it's been great. I have both the Anycubic Mono 4K and the Wash and Cure station and they've both been great. I just installed the flexible buildplate and the prints come out great. I love it for things that I need in detail and the quality is just astonishing. I still use my Ender 3 a ton more but the Mono 4K is an absolutely great printer

[@davidfigueroa1969]

I've got both, and there's a ton of stuff to learn and work with the resin printers. Just like FDM, each resin is really unique in exposure times, light off times, etc. I will say this - get better resins. The higher quality resins do not have the strong odors that the cheaper ones do. I'm partial to the Elegoo ABS Like resins.. low odor, very strong, and easy to print with. good luck!

[@RR-wz5kl]

Love the incredibly clear disclosure about the sponsor relation

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks! Appreciate the feedback

[@jormungand72]

I have only ever used a resin printer, and I love it. It printed amazing quality right out of the box and with a little bit of calibration it only improved. Got some Sirayatech Tenacious to mix with my standard Elegoo grey, and now I have a ton of range of durability for all my needs. I still have yet to try dyes or clear resin though, but really want to because there are quite a few things I would like to do with them (I mostly print scale model kit parts). Sure, I would like to have a FDM printer for larger less detailed things, but I have heard a LOT of people give up printing because they couldnt calibrate their FDM printer properly. That would never be an issue for me since I have plenty of time and determination, but it still makes it sound like FDM printing is much harder than resin printing, which worked for me right out of the box with no issue. The two things I would invest in for resin printing are; ultrasonic cleaner, and a UV light with a uv powered lazy susan. And 90%+IPA or a degreaser like Zep Fast 505 or Mean Green (much cheaper than IPA and works almost as well for most all resins, clear resins work better with IPA.) when using the ultrasonic cleaner, all you really need is a small jewelry one that can hold water to then put a larger container into to hold your IPA that you put your parts in. dont have to use a ton of IPA, just enough to submerge the print. So just use a container that fits your print. the IPA can also be cleaned by letting the resin settle then curing it with UV light, then filtering it out with a coffee filter. I also recommend a second build plate, a flex flex plate for each, and an extra vat with storage lids for both. Makes it so you have almost no downtime between prints while you swap the plates out or even swap to a different type of resin. and the flex plate lets me print perfectly flat things like miniature bases, coins,, keychains and such; and getting a perfectly smooth flat bottom that comes off the plate with ease and no damage from the putty knife.

[@Dytoractor]

Depends on the FDM printer you buy. I have a prusa mk3 and I do have problems. But it's mostly wearable parts, direct drive gears, the sensors Prusa keeps coming up with, and Prusa Printed parts that don't work so well. However, Prusa always tends to fix the issues and I have printed over 400 days worth of prints in 4 years. All my friends bought Enders or Creality printers because they are cheap and it is possible to print a ton on them but they all ended up shelving the printers. The main complaints were the software/firmware. Too many driver boards, to many compiled files that don't work, to many versions of the same printer and YES they never did get a print printed. what a waste of time and money. That being said, expensive doesn't mean better either! I have a Modix V2-to-V3. I have completed 3 years of tech support and it still doesn't work! Which means who you buy a printer from matters!!! Unless you are an engineer for this kind of thing.

[@michaelj3971]

I hadn't thought of scale model parts before. I thought resin printers were only for figurines, so your use case makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing this.

[@jormungand72]

@@michaelj3971 I mostly build gunpla, so greeblies and armor panels work great. also guns, swords, even polycaps. I sometimes build cars and can print tires or engines. Most resin is too brittle for moving parts, but Sirayatech Tenacious is basically rubber and can be mixed with standard resin. so depending on the ratio, you can get anything from slightly less brittle parts to polycaps. I printed out a 1:8 scale figure of a human that had a tie, and the tie was paper thin and could move a good deal without breaking

[@Aikano9]

This video format is excellent for this type of video, great job! I’m considering getting a resin printer, but the fume extraction, high toxicity, and space and cleanliness required are sort of a problem, I think I’d want a large enclosed desk with a massive silicone desk surface, and walls a roof and a door, as well as fume extraction and/or a really good air scrubber, there’s not enough space for that now unfortunately

[@richfpv472]

Quick tip for you, if you put more IPA in your wash station it doesn't smash your prints about, and let your print dry before post curing. Hope you keep it up mate, great video

[@stonefarmer3005]

I have both types of printers and have to say you made resin printing look sooo much harder than it really is. Keep up the videos.

[@thenextlayer]

Yeah I was a total newb. I’m getting better though. But I busted the fep lol

[@jmsunday]

The fact that he made it look so much harder sticks to the fact of authenticity for his part

[@logicalfundy]

I'm really bad with messy things and I definitely don't want to be handling toxic stuff . . . so not for me. I'm also the kind of person who is into more functional prints and am not too concerned about layer lines and such, so I'll be sticking with FDM personally. Although a word about reliability: Most of the unreliability really stems from badly built printers. Something like the Ender 3 is very cheap, but it's also terribly built, and I ended up replacing a bunch of parts to make it reliable. If I were to buy another printer, I'd bite the bullet and buy a Prusa. They're known to be great workhorses and they're open source so I can make it my own.

[@TheAleksanderB]

I have also recently got my hands on a SLA printer. I got mine from Elegoo and the quality is exceptional with some caviats. I totally agree with you that it is a mess, even other KZbinrs are warning about this. If you are careful enough and clean any spillage after each print, it is fine and not that toxic. I am even thinking to get an air purifier for the space that I am using the printer. Other tips I can share: - Get silicon covers for the surfaces infront and around the printer. They will save your workbench from the resin and you can easily toss them outside on the sun for a few hours to clean them more easily. - Get paper towels. I use them on top of the silicon covers when I am moving the prints out of the bed and also cleaning any remaining resin from the tank after transfering the resin back to the bottle and run the clean tank exposure. - Get plastic cups that can contain around 300-500ml of liquid. I use those for when I need to transfre the excess resin from the tank to the bottle or clean the washing station. - Try washable resin. I have ordered a few bottles to test it out. They advertise it as nearly odourless, safer and easy to wash with tap water. By the way, depending on what resin you use and how big the objects are the IPA can be used for up to 30 prints.

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks for the tips! Will do

[@damonfecitt]

I'm trying to find a gift for my teenage D&D gamer kids and thought this would be fun. I appreciate your well rounded review! I wasn't thinking about the toxic fumes and materials for where they'd do this. You've given me a lot to consider and if the Pros outweigh the Cons. Thank you!

[@whatevermaaaaaaaan]

if you're still looking for a good gift, take a look at the Bambu A1 Mini. It's a small FDM printer, so no toxic fumes or materials, and it's packed full of sensors that make it work right out of the box with next to no manual calibration. It's basically an appliance, one that even small children could learn to use. You can also get a 0.2mm nozzle for it that can print incredibly detailed miniatures. it's what I use for my D&D campaigns.

[@Streusselhirni]

As someone interested in resin printing, I‘d love to hear more about it!

[@the_arcanum]

It's always interesting to see how a newcomer experiences first time resin printing. What always gets me on KZbin is how the noxious vapors problem is presented. Depending of the brand, yes, liquid resin can stink. But honestly, the respiratory risk you may encounter with UV resin is WHEN IT'S PRINTING, not just in its uncured or cured state. So it's a good thing the printing chamber is sealed during printing and now printers are sold with active carbon filters inside just for that. The VOC cartridge mask is unnecessary just to fill up the vat. Nitrile gloves (latex won't do) on the other hand are always always mandatory. BUT there's one moment when putting that mask is necessary: it's when you start handling liters of Isopropyl alcohol to clean the parts. That volume of alcohol can be fairly detrimental to your health, give nausea, headaches and implies a very well ventilated area. Note, Jonathan is not using his mask at that moment when it would be most useful. The solvent handling part of the post processing to me is the main hassle of UV resin printing. IPA is costly, a respiratory hazard, is a pain to recycle or dispose of when it becomes mixed with resin as a cleaning solution but offers the best cleaning possible, industrial degreasers or methylated spirits being close seconds. And none of them are risk free to handle or easy to recycle. To reduce cost, I'm using ethanol (aka methylated spirits) for the 1st cleaning bath and IPA for the finish one. The print gets enclosed in a sealed thin plastic tub with the iPA and floated in water for 6mn max in an ultrasonic cleaner with the heat off and always supervised. That's the same way mechanical parts can be cleaned with flammable solvents in a ultrasonic cleaner btw (don't leave them for long, always be present, always put them in a sealed container immersed in water). Parts always come out squeaky clean with crisp details. Remember, you can get a print from a high definition printer but if there's still residue on it because it wasn't cleaned enough, it's going to mar the details of the finished product.

[@ccatlett1984]

To correct this statement, FAR more VoCs are release during the washing & curing process, than during the actual printing. (Oddly enough since we use IPA and it evaporates at room temperature.)

[@the_arcanum]

@@ccatlett1984 Agreed. I should have developed the point i was making further :)

[@3Dprint4you]

Great video. I still remember myfirst experience with resin printers. I started with the anycubic photon mono when it was first released, a whopping 2K machine. I now have 3 resin printers including the new 12K phrozen. I have 4 FDM printers and I honestly dont have a preferred way to print. It all depends on what I want to accomplish in the end. Resin has way more clean up than FDM but as you said it takes more time to tweak the prints to get good prints. Definitely now with the new Bambulabs that has drastically changed. Education is the key to resin printing. There are definitely concerns but you just educate yourself. I dont think a full respirator is necessary. I find the IPA is far more of an issue breathing in than the resin. I will never handle resin bare handed but havent found the need for a full respirator, I do wear a mask at all times, at least an N95 rated mask not just a dust mask that they send with the printers. Definitely get the small filters as they help immensely with the smell, I use 2 in my Phrozen printer which is now my go to resin printer. The new resins coming out don't smell as bad either and you can get water washable one as well. The wash and cure systems are a must. On you anycubic cure station you can bend the top portion of the UV bar after you remove the vat to increase the efficacy of the cure. Love the video and your style! Oh and Jonathan dont let your mom do resin printing! 😅

[@ccibinel]

eSun is terribly smelly resin. Anycubic is fine and ya a respirator is totally overkill.

[@olafb.2929]

I like this video, your first steps as a newbie in resin printing. Well done. And yes, please make more videos about resin printing. From time to time. And like you said, safety first!

[@thenextlayer]

You got it, boss! Another one on the way

[@grahamlockley4435]

Keep playing with resin, I'm happy to watch your excellent vids and learn from your experience, Oh and i can learn a lot whilst avoiding exposure to the fumes :)

[@simoncuartasescobar1670]

Amazing video! I consider that it is a very objective analysis, and you make your opinions very clear as personal. By the way, excellent format for "my experience", incredibly funny.

[@esurfrider7687]

Heheh, it’s always fun watching noobs do resin 3D printing for the first time, having already gone through the hoops myself, now every print comes out nearly every time. Let me offer a couple of useful tips for anycubic resin printing. Before starting that very first print, what everyone must do (but they don’t tell you in the manual) 1) apply a release agent to the inside of the resin vat fep. This is the reason for your first 2 print failures and more failures will occur if you don’t regularly apply release agent to the fep, I do this every time after each print, it’s just a part of clean up process. 2) don’t fill the vat to the max level, just use an amount appropriate to your part to make cleanup easier. 3) anycubic photon slicer requires all models to be sliced in anycubic’s photon slicer mine uses a .pwma file format but they maybe different for your specific printer. If you want to use chitubox or lychee which I do absolutely recommend for generating supports, you’ll want to save the model with the supports as an .stl file and then import it into photon slicer for final slicing, if you slice with any other slicer , your prints will fail (or never even begin) at least this is how it was when I got started a year ago and I haven’t bothered to check if that’s been fixed) but if you run into any problems with that just remember to try and slice only with anycubic’s proprietary slicing software and you will be good to go. And finally 4) the best advice I can give with supports is rotate your models so that they are not parallel to any of the 3 axis and orientate your model with the side you want to be the cleanest opposite the build plate clear of supports. Lastly, there are some tips worth mentioning for cleanup, but this is getting a bit long, go ahead and let me know if you want those as well! Thanks for the video bro! Good luck!

[@esurfrider7687]

Oh and remember to calibrate your resin exposure settings! These will be different for each resin has different exposure profiles, dial in the manufacturers suggested settings with calibration tests to get the ideals you’re comfortable with

[@davedavem]

I recently bought the Creality Halot One and I love it. I use Anycubic ABS-Like Resin+ (it offers the right properties for my needs) and it STINKS. Did one print in the house then moved it out to the garage. I didn't immediately by the wash and cure machine, but after a month for the Anycubic one. That makes all the difference. My workflow is not too messy, but it's all in the garage, requires mask and a lot of disposable gloves. There results are perfect, though, and it's easier than FDM to get good prints.

[@iandrake4683]

I have the same printer. It sits quietly in my shed where the fumes can't hurt my family. The only thing I use it for is for prints that need to be heat resistant.

[@alexalfonso3090]

I like the video. Went through the same issues with the test print provided by manufacturer . But when I went to my other prints, exposure settings,and supports....I spent the last year hitting my head against a wall. Lol. I even let it sit for a few months and going back to it. But thankfully there are lots of support from the community.

[@justintime5021]

I went the opposite direction. I have been resin printing for years and just got my first fdm printer (creality k1c) I'm having a lot of fun printing the things that either wouldn't fit in my Saturn S or just wouldn't work with resin very well due to its material properties. I still use resin for a lot of things. If you need something detailed it just can't be beat.

[@mikedixonphoto]

I buy the 7mil gloves. They're more expensive, but you can re-use them 10 times or more. They're easy to take off if you clean them with a little alcohol first. A silicone spatula works well for wiping the top of the plate before taking it out, less resin waste also, and keeps the wash cleaner if you stick everything in there. Flex plates make printing, washing, and model removal easier. I wash my functional parts on the plate, then just pop them off.

[@mikedixonphoto]

Eye protection is good also. Splashes and shooting support pieces can really suck. Making a handle for the top of the wash and cure is a must. It really helps keep things clean. I have a hinged cover for the printer, but you might want a handle for that, also. Make note, there is a large difference in smell between different resins. I've had "low odor" resins that smelled worse than regular ones.

[@gamingMattR]

Good video. I really liked that you showed the learning as you went. I have been really pleased with the water washable resin.... saves a TON of money on the FDM, seems to have less fumes (I still use an air filter) and less chemicals in the washing / post process. I have still yet to really find a good post clean up formula for wash and cure times... so I just experiment and do my best... would love if you do a video about that some time... otherwise I am just doing the "yeah that sounds like a good number" like you did.

[@thenextlayer]

Good call, I'll get some of that Resin

[@Sharpless2]

I absolutely love that you showed that your first print failed completely. Realistically, even when following instructions (the original, multiple websites and youtube videos) the first 1-3 prints will always fail. In my case, the first 8 prints failed until i realised that the build plate of my Elegoo Mars Pro was messed up from factory. I spend 1.5 hours of sanding with 600 grit on a surface plate, and only THEN Prints actually worked. Not wanting to spend even more money on the Wash and Cure station, i tried water washable resin and was disappointed every time. In addition to that, im probably allergic to this type of resin as i get really horrible headaches from it in less than 10 minutes. Have only used the printer maybe 2-3 times since then and will probably scrap it for the linear rail to put on my Ender 3 lol. For anyone reading this: Always remember that Resin is VERY TOXIC. If you have FDM printers, stay with those. In my experiences, resin printers are only good Figurines or other miniatures and nothing else.

[@Thanos88888]

Stay away from IPA unless you like to waste money. You can get methyl hydrate or methylated spirits for far less money and they arguably work better. Resin is pretty easy once you have your workflow figured out. I rarely clean anything when I'm printing. Put the gloves on, take the build plate off and into the washing machine, wash, take out and pop off the plate (magnetic flex plates work wonders), wipe the buildplate off with a small piece of paper towel and put it back into the machine, top up the resin in the vat, start the next print. It's handy to soak your print in hot tap water after it's cleaned to easily remove the supports. Once it's dry, cure it.

[@thenextlayer]

Oh snap I’ll look into that. Sad that I just bought more IPA

[@MrCarCrazy]

I find it fascinating, but don’t see this as something I personally would buy so I live vicariously through KZbinrs

[@Eric-Marsh]

I just ordered a $99 resin printer because it's cheap and I've had less than satisfactory results printing some very small parts. But yeah, right now I'd diving deep into the safety aspects. Rather than trying to ventilate my shop I'm thinking of building a heated box so that I can do the prints outdoors.

[@itsadreamfrodo6461]

I use resin for TT games and selling. And there is a solution. An air tight grow tent for $40 plus an exhaust fan and some hose leading out a window can fully ventilate your tent of all toxic fumes. Cap the exhaust hose when you’re done for the day so nothing leaks out over night and you’re 100% resin free and always working in a small chemical containment area for less than $100.

[@barazo1011]

Very interesting look at it. Have been on the fence for awhile now on getting into the resin scene but after that video I think im going to take the plunged. Great vid!

[@igorchak48]

use water washable resin, no smell, non toxic and all you need is water.

[@7kortos7]

for me, procedure to ensure reliable performance is my preferred system. FDM is like cooking with out knowing the other persons recipe you almost have to be a chef your self to diagnose problems. (mechanical issues) where as resin printers i see more as cooking with Gordon Ramsey yelling at your back. sure it's stressful but as long as you listen and follow procedure you'll get a far better result than the alternative.

[@AlexDoesYouTubes]

I almost went with resin, but in a one bedroom apartment dealing with fumes and cleanup was going to be too much work.

[@RyanMercer]

I jut had a sponsor tell me not to publish a video and forget it after showing my failures with their resin printer as part of a video for their new printer 😂

[@MisterkeTube]

Tip: water-washable resin. It isn't less messy, but it saves on IPA ;-) And the transparent Elegoo ones are so nice and make curing thicker parts so much easier (transparent, dooh).

[@br0k3nilluzion]

also cracks a lot faster in a lot of situations

[@ccatlett1984]

@@br0k3nilluzion Also, not any "safer" or "better for the environment". And then you have to find a way to handle the contaminated water (not safe to dump down the drain, it's just as toxic.)

[@davidstonier-gibson8408]

Thank you. You have re-affirmed my conclusion about branching into resin. I picked up my Bambu X1C just today, so that will keep me off the streets for a while. Much as I would like the option of resin printing for fine mechanical parts, my workspace is a 3m x 3m carpeted room in the middle of the house, so it is absolutely out of the question. So once my shiny new FFF printer is bedded in I'll look at getting a 0.2mm nozzle for when I want to make a tiny/prices part.

[@619Slipk]

Just so you know, saw a different youtuber testing those air purifier thingies and apparently they get rid of the smell but are mostly inefficient when it comes to reducing the evil chemical particles in the air.

[@3DJapan]

If you don't have a wash and cure you can definitely reuse the IPA. For my first year I used Tupperware containers to clean in, just put the lid on when done and it stays until next time.

[@Boradumir]

Thx... this video was an eye opener... I already thought about getting a resin printer... but the whole chemical handling and the small build plate, and the need of a washer / curer is a no - go to me. I see why others are using it, but I simply don't need it. Thx for this video.

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

I don't think I'll be getting into resin printing any time soon due to the size limitations, but at some point probably; nice video showing your first experience with it, as well as things to look out for for if and or when that day ever does come SeemsGood

[@thewebmachine]

I have been dabbling in SLA for a couple years now. Buying 99% IPA is a must and, at that purity, it can be fairly easily "cleaned" several times for reuse, saving cost. Plus, if you are smart about it, you setup a bath container that you rinse tools and such in to save IPA. I found water-washable resin cost to match that of normal resin+99%IPA on the whole, and such "ECO" resins are safer from a handleability standpoint, not a disposal standpoint. They also tend to require longer layer and post-cure times, wasting energy (and time). Magnetic build plates for SLA printers exist and I found them to be heavenly for preserving bottom layer quality vs scraping them off a firm plate. I also love my stainless steel filter funnel! So much better than plastic funnels and paper filters (there's your eco and savings). Get a small air filter for inside the SLA, too...helps tons with the smell and I'm *SHOCKED* Anycubic didn't include one since that's exactly who I bought mine from! Just like with FDM, once you get familiar with everything, you start to learn more tips and tricks for an easier time working with resin.

[@thenextlayer]

Good call!

[@OnceinaSixSide]

You might also find it useful for sprucing up your functional FDM prints with super clean high detail inlays and other decorative elements like that. Welcome to the stinky messy world of resin 3d printing 😁

[@GreySectoid]

This video was super useful for us all resin-curious filament-printers.

[@scratchinjack608]

"I am not looking forward to emptying that vat again...." LOL! My sentiments exactly. Personally, I don't like the process and cost of resin printing. In my 3D print work, I have little but specific use for the process. BUT, thanks for the video. It took me back when I started to explore it.

[@thenextlayer]

Thanks for watching!

[@CPurdiePlays]

This confirms my suspicions. I'm not ready lol. One day I think I'll dive into resin printing, but not any time soon.

[@almogcohen5776]

I have experiences with resin 3D printers, right now I own Elegoo Mars 2 pro and I agree with the mess, but you can upgrade the printer. You can use handles to the lid, you can print with PTEG new filler for the resin bottle and make carbon filters to filter the smell. FDM printers are easy and great but the details in Resin printers are much better and after painting the prints, you will be shock.

[@z-made]

love your content! and I think it would be awesome to see more about resin printing!

[@cjameshuff]

A couple notes on PPE: prolonged exposure to the fumes can cause eventual health issues, but eye contact will cause very immediate issues (very possibly leading to spills and other accidents that you will be unable to deal with promptly) and possible permanent damage to your vision. Eye protection should be your very highest priority. Also, your greatest exposure to fumes and splash hazard is when you're removing and cleaning the part, not when you're pouring resin into the printer.

[@XenoActual]

I attempted Resin printing for 4 months and never got a single fully successful print. There was always some flaw whether it be small or a complete fail. Gave up and sold my Photon mono 4k and put the money on an X1C and a P1S to replace my Ender 3s.

[@wutangclan2051]

Thanks for sharing your experience, this helped lot!!

[@olicochrane]

I just got into resin printing and bought the exact models of printer and wash/cure station you have there a couple of weeks before finding your channel, although sadly the cure station suffered with a warped turntable so it's really just a wash station right now 😂. Been having loads of fun with it although I did have a much harder job removing the test cube from the print bed than you did so possibly doing something wrong, 3 prints in with (touch wood) no failures so far, expecting to have many now I have said that. Will be interested to watch your other videos as I am fairly new to fdm printing too

[@Emtbtoday]

I have to make this clear i cannot stress this enough! I am 3 or 4 months into resin printing and got it down to a fine art understanding all the slicer settings etc but this what people keep saying abiut it being a messy job its just how messy you the user wants to make it! I have 3 printers and work on 2 of them cheap plastic dinner service trays, with paper towl down and your plastic scrapers and your metal one to hand but the plastic razors i use the most, i don't use that metal scrapper if don't need to! Point is i have this small tray area thats perfect for laying down your plate removing even 1.4 scale statues i do with little to no mess! The build plate you scrape that clean with your plastic scraper whe first remove it top first youll get the resin to sit in a pool on top of the scraper and just pour it back in the vat! Its simple just work at being cleaner its not a messey job atoll!

[@avejst]

Great walk-through of the process 👍 I would prefer a DLP projection for the UV. It seems as a better option in the long run. I still don't think the process is mature enough. As you mentioned, the filtering in the chamber is a better solution in the long run. I would prefer a resin "run out" sensor implemented from the start as well. I love the implemented wash/cure station though, a big step in the right direction. Great walk-through of your expirence.

[@davedavem]

On the resin run-out idea - there are a few different printers coming out this year with resin auto-fill. But I suppose you're still need to know how much is in the bottle!

[@dustybookshelves2948]

@@davedavem Those are a major move in the right direction, but if they're like the one on the Jupiter (very similar to a kitty bowl refiller), I probably can't use one, and a lot of other folks can't either. The engineering mixes people use if they don't print miniatures (and even mini printers sometimes employ if they sell b/c shattering is bad for business) are too viscous for the feeder. Warming band might work, but strong & tappable resins are $50, 70, 100+ a liter depending on properties & I'd be concerned about degradation if they were stored warm in the feeder jug for long periods of time. They also separate & need to be agitated periodically.

[@blankchck]

I'm currently building a 60" model of Captain Nemo's Nautilus. The way I see it, print the hull and bulkier item with the FDM, and the more detailed parts with the resin. I'd recommend both in your shop.

[@josephtannenbaum8696]

I got an Anycubic Mono 4k for using to make things for my N scale model RR. Some things that small can not be printed on my Ender 3v2. I find the learning curve for the slicer to be very large. Especially trying a building or RR car that has straight lines.

[@zac2877]

i appreciate the curing process being aethetically pleasing building the anticipation for completion of your project ;)

[@SkarmGamerLPs]

Fantastic video! Love ur content man. I love fdm but this was still a super fun and informative video :)

[@shawnhicks619]

I have a variety of both fdm and resin printers in my shop. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. But there is no question that resin prints deliver much higher detail and less sanding and post processing minus washing and curing. But fdm has the ability to making larger and stronger parts and is “cheaper” in respects to materials. I’m not familiar with the resin used in this video but the resins I use have virtually no smell. It will burn your skin though so gloves are a must. For models and some cosplay a combination of resin and fdm are pretty nice in respects to finish and detail. Personally I’d like a bit larger resin printer but to step up to what I’d like is very pricey not that the larger resin printers I own are small but I’d like bigger…….

[@PrintedObsession]

Great video, was good to see your final thoughts on resin printing.

[@Lumos__Nox]

Really appreciate this video. I have wanted a resin printer for over three years now sense I first got into FDM printing. I can't really find a reason I need one, but I love detailed figures and with so many existing of beloved characters from especially video games or just mythical things and creations, I find myself in a want vs need battle. With how much you need to go through prep wise and protection wise, I can't see a viable enough reason to by one. (And everything else you need to buy with it) I just really wish I had a friend who did resin printing so I could just pay them for the figures I wanted. I know services like that exist but the price for them seems unreasonable.

[@TheNintigod]

So towards the end you verbally say all this mostly positive stuff about your experience, and then undercut everything you are saying with block text over it? So what's the story with all the text? Why not re-record it if you have more to say about it after the fact? I found this video leaves me with more questions than answers, and I wasn't a fan.

[@kspec2001]

one thing i got the resin printer for is actually for printing replacement gears out of ABS like and other hard materials. so you could actually look more into using it for practical printing as well :) replacement parts for small electronics like headphones too.

[@Juan-Far]

With resin, you need a designated area for it, ventilation and or filters, gloves, paper towels, IPA (not the beer kind), gas mask, eye protection, a sealed trash bin, the wasing & cure machine (or tupperware + UV light) and like 30+ minutes of your life depending on the size of the proyect... and if the print fails, you gotta clean everything up nevertheless. Meanwhile you can do SLA with a printer next to your bed, while cleaning the parts with a nail clipper (not effective, but posible)... and the worst thing that can happend ranges from a clog to the melted filament crawling up you nozzle... Don´t get me weong both are still fun as hell, but resin is just messier

[@oh5148]

Fumes a big no no for me unless I had a shop not inside the house lol

[@GotNextVideo]

It's just a different set of skills to learn. FDM and Resin both need supports, for example, but there are different considerations in adding supports for each. But the products you make with each couldn't be further apart. Resin is going to be a lot more appealing at entry level pricepoints, I think, because while it might make smaller things, they're nice-looking, rivaling store-bought products in many ways. FDM's advantages shine when it comes to larger models and multi-colored prints, but those models are a lot more expensive, and even then the products they make are very obviously 3D printed.

[@jims6450]

My first experience with resin printers was about 11-12 years ago when I picked up a desktop 3D Systems resin printer system for our ME students and faculty to explore. What a complete waste of $15K back then. And what surprised me the most when I started watching this vid, is how nothing has really changed in the process. Same exact thing. Lots of nasty sticky chemicals to handle, UV lights, and extremally high failure rates of prints. We had the factory techs come down many many times to help us try to get it sorted out, but in the end I just turned the entire system over to some grad students and put it in a room with large enough fume hood to put it all into for occasional use and mostly safe storage. Thank you for the brutally honest reality of what using these resin printers is all about. Well done! You actually got my gut twisted in a knot from triggering me with it! All the horror and wasted time! No thank you!

[@tenchuu007]

I think your confusion on the price comes from a misnomer common in the community. What you have is a DLP printer, not an SLA one. The technologies are somewhar similar but the cost and need for replacement parts is very different.

[@davidwilliams1060]

I bought an Anycubic first, which worked fine but I hated the toxic glop. Then I bought the Bambu x1c and that’s all I’ve very happily used since. However, videos like yours will eventually get me to use both. Thanks.

[@thenextlayer]

Yep. I’m having fun learning something new mostlub

[@xloudsky]

well i do say initially cleaning is a pain but with some vids and tips on how to do it its less painful there are some vids that show how to use a metal tray or a silicon mat with a rim to allow for no spillage and you just isolate the resin bottle on there with the build plate and vat use paper towels and microfiber cloths cut into bits to clean of course it takes time and practice but once your use to it it just becomes something your normally do for ventilation there are fume boxes kinda like tents with a ventilation hose attached to it u can either use a charcoal foam filter block inside the hose or directly connect it outside if thos are not a option there are air purifiers that are usb rechargeable and fit beside your vat to purify the fumes of the resin

[@christophergrove4876]

🇨🇦/🇺🇸... Like you, I am mainly interested in utilitarian prints but that is actually why I wanted to investigate resin printing, purchasing the same model "mono 2" printer. The LAYER weaknesses inherent in FDM prints make it poor for some items that need strength and when I saw that there were some very strong (though expensive) resins available (phrozen Onyx Impact Plus 3D Printing Resin) I thought it worthwhile to get a handle on this technology. I'm finding that to be VERY safe seriously adds to the expense, however, and as I'm in a one-bedroom walk-up apartment where the ventilation is shared, I'm trying to be extra careful with opening the windows wide.

[@441rider]

Safety glasses pouring that iso, good walk through. The carbon chunks get rid of smell not toxins fyi.

[@shawnswc2539]

And I'm definitely looking at buying A 3D resin printer.

[@thenextlayer]

Get the Photon Mono 12K one I reviewed in the other video. It's good. jle.vi/anycubic

[@shawnswc2539]

I love this video I just Excribed to you. To see more like this Risen and Filament. Videos that you come up with. Just show everyone I am looking forward to seeing On your videos.

[@Dytoractor]

I agree with the conclusion of this video!!! But it is still annoying... Maybe it's fun the first time but if you are making lots of prints... not so fun. I turned a bathroom into a print room to be lazy with cleanup and then printed thousands of parts. I didn't know about the respirator but the resin stunk so bad! After 3 days of printing I got sick and I still needed to print so many parts on an order. I decided to buy a respirator but it didn't come with the correct filters and I was getting sicker. I then spent the big bucks and got the nice filters. Which worked wonders! After that job, I didn't want to touch the printer ever again! I ended up selling them. I do love the simplicity of the printer! I do love the detail! I do love making yellowish but mostly clear parts! But the fumes and clean up are too much for me.

[@sarcasm-83]

Idk how, but with this one video you managed to turn me off of filament and resin 3d printing. So thank you for the money saved, I suppose lol...

[@jean-loupdesbordes4833]

One thing bothers me about resins : in Europe painting and printing industry don't allow any other use than water UV paint or ink, other kinds are prohibited and as a private, I don't understand how I get the right to poison myself with solvant resins.

[@kaasmeester5903]

Nice video. As a maker who only recently got into the 3d printing game, my first question would be: what are you getting a resin printer for? I'm happy with the 3d filament printer I got for printing parts and tools. I can see the appeal of resin when accuracy matters. Personally I would consider a resin printer when I need that kind of precision. One application I am particularly interested in: apparently there is some resin that has the properties of wax, and can be used for lost wax casting. Jewelers use it to cast fine parts.

[@peterpeter5666]

planning on ordering an x1c soon and was thinking of trying resin printing too at the same time. being a tech for almost 40 years make my love for tinkering fun so thats the main reason i want to get into 3d printing. but as a tech ive been exposed to chemicals and smoke , smells etc.... and i dont really want that in my home. If i can build an encloser that safe and smell proof , i will most defiantly try resin printing

[@igorchak48]

I would highly suggest using water washable resin, it doesn’t smell as bad and no need to use alcohol. Just water.

[@rbid]

neat video. You moved me back to the early 90 with the gas mask. About the video, I liked, all improvised and not posed Greetings from the Galilee.

[@woodwaker1]

Thanks for doing this so I don't have to. I enjoy my FDM printers, when a print is done - it's done, since I print the majority in PLA, no fumes and I get the filament in bulk for a little over $10 per Kg. I can easily have 4 printers running and scrape the parts off and start another batch. I also am not good at tidiness, so would have a big mess.

[@brandonyoung181]

Resin at first glance is cheaper to get into, but you need to factor in the wash station, stainless funnels, safety gear and mats when deciding if it's worth it. The quality is nuts and it's way easier than fdm printing, but when it goes wrong it's a big mystery sometimes.

[@atiratiki3072]

Anycubic resin printer was my first an it prints amazing..i enjoy this one a bit better then dealin with the whole different settings for filament never though be so hard to even get prints to stick to bed or diff settings jus to get a print goin then resin jus model ..put supports...clean an cure...now fui future get those dual charcoal filters from amazon thatll fit in the anycubic to help with the fumes with resin in a small area i have em an works great in my apt by a window

[@LightOfReason7]

I may want to try it out later. I have to get better with the other method first

[@thefirstlayer350]

I have both, I started with SLA for scale models. I really dislike the mess, the smell, and the clean up. However, when compared to FDM, the parts look injection molded. Even my 2 year old 8K Mono Saturn S puts out prints that you have to look hard to find layer lines. FDM is so much cleaner. I can sit next to it while it is printing and am only bothered by fan noise. My SLA I have to keep the cleaning area outside in a shed. There is no way I want all of that smell in the house, it really stinks. In the end, I use both, but I find for my use, functional parts, FDM is more fun.

[@davidvail3838]

I liked the format. Would love to see some PLA prints with mistakes and then show what you need to fix them. Dave Vail Fredericksburg VA. (USA)

[@doobedi]

I hear that Carima’s CMYK resin is a way better resin than the current toxic resin. Would be cool if you could do a video on if it's safer.

[@Raketenclub]

5:08 ... i love it. and i am awake now!

[@Happy3dprinting]

I stayed away from resin printing because of the toxic nature of the resin and the resulting waste ipa. By chance creality was having an Easter sales and I bought the cheapest resin printer they made the Halot One at £99 with free 1kg of resin which cost £30, so for me it was a cheap way to see if I could get into resin printing and live with the smells and toxic resin process. After what has been a few weeks, I have found the best way to deal with resin spills is to cure it with a uv lamp, as if you use ipa you just cause more mess. I had a large air purifier already that had hepa and carbon filters which when in use keeps the smell from spreading around the house, but I still use my mask which has organic compound filters just in case. Protective glasses are also a must unless you have a full face mask like myself. This sounds like over kill but long term exposure can cause a lot of health issues, even cancer. I love fdm printing but it has its limits when dealing with small parts, resin has been able to allow me to extend the range of items that I can print. I have just bought a creality Halot mage which is a substantial upgrade over the Halot one which has again expanded what I can produce between fdm and resin machines. Is resin for everyone…no, fdm is the better way to experiment with 3d printing unless you already have a need such as miniatures. Even then, make sure you have a location that is safe and well ventilated and provides a stable temperature environment at over 20degC.

[@davedavem]

The great thing is the printing settings you need are printed on the bottle. And they just work.

[@thenextlayer]

Good call

[@bernieclark8458]

Get a small Silicone spatula to mix the resin in the vat. Will not damage the fet sheet. SunLu is a good resin brand too.

[@ccibinel]

I always figured the build plate coming down for the burnin layers would do a good enough job of mixing it.

[@bravo320zf]

So i watched the video and i have a few tips for you. Tip 1: most of the time fails like not sticking to the build plate are due to your exposure setting you have set for the base layers. You could also sand the build plate to give the resin something more abrasive to stick to but its so new I don't think that is the issue. Tip 2: you can never have enough PPE and this is xoming from someone who works with Hazmat but personally I only use gloves. I dont bother with the mask and stuff. Hell i print in my office on a foldering table abd a silicone slap mat. Lol guess this isnt a tip just aomething that i noticed and couldnt help comparing to how i do things. Tip 3: add more IPA to the wash. I change my IPA maybe once a month and just keep the container sealed up when im not using it. Once every 6 months I strip my container down and give it a deep clean. Might need to do it more then that but I'm kinda lazy. One last tip: I use Lychee slicer and UVtools. UVtools is a god send. Lychee auto supports with UVtool Island/resin trap/suction detections i can take a unsupported model to a supported model in like 10 minutes and most of yhe time have a success. Also I use the free version of Lychee Hope this helps. Also i have used the resin you are using and it does have pretty strong fumes. I use Siraya Tech Fast resin for mine which has almost no oder to it as far as i can tell. Normally the cheaper resin smells the worst. Also, since its fast curing the print is faster and has a lower exposure time which increases the life on my screen. :)

[@andrewmo49]

Thanks for the video. Really makes me appreciate the unboxing and first prints from my X1C. I think I’d need a very specific use before going the resin route since I don’t need miniatures.

[@jasonepos]

Super helpful dude. Thanks!

[@LostInTimeIndustries]

I am in between as to what to do.. looking into lasers but really like the idea of resin. Thanks for the content!