I've been printing with Ender 3 for some years, and this summer I got me a Anycubic Photon Ultra resin printer and the bigger Anycubic wash&cure station. I would recommend wash&cure station, simply because it makes the process very easy and quick. I usually remove the prints from buildplate, but I leave the supports on, expecially if the models are very fragile. After wash, I cut the supports of and then cure the model. Or, if it contains very thin and fragile parts, I even cure it before cutting of the supports from those parts. It really depends.
One thing to consider when choosing a resin printer is the size. The Photon Ultra is pretty small as far as print size is concerned, so if you intend to print larger models, then a larger printer might be better choice. Elegoo, Anycubic, Phrozen all make good ones. But you can split large models in pieces and then print those, I've done that with a lager spider.
Second consoderation is the resin itself. Assuming you want to play with your prints, then you need to choose a type of resin that's not too fragile. All resins are pretty fragile, compared with metal, but there are some types that work better for playing in 28mm size etc. I've even printed some Warmaster stuff which came out alright, but then I dropped one base, and all the spears broke off...
Third thing, what is the resin chemically like. Is washable with IPA or similar liquids? All resins are toxic waste, in that you can't just pour it in the sewer. You can extend the life of your washing liquid if you cure the washed resins in it, so IPA it is recycled for use, after you remove the resin lumps. These days you get water washable resins, I haven't tried them out, but the do seem to get good or mixed reviews. The liquid is still toxic with the resin in it, so you can't pour it in sewer, and need to separate the resin by curing. But hey it's water, it's almost free and doesnt' stink to high heaven (IPA does, wear some mask or ventilate well?) And most resins are finicky, they require fairly warm conditions, so printing in unheated shack can be difficult.
So there's a lot to get your head around to at first, but if you watch some youtube videos, you soon get the hang of it.
Two tips: firstly, the most crucial thing to get right with printing resin, is the exposure time, both for the first initial layers (so the print fixes well to the plate), and the rest of the printing, so you get all the details good, and no missing bits. There are some good test prints which tell you if your setup is doing under or over-exposure. Thsi needs to be right.
Second tip, when (not if) you do get print fails, partial or otherwise, always empty the resin wat and filter the resin when you pour it back to the bottle... if tiny bits remain in the resin, they can really ruin the FEP film that forms the bottom of the wat. So you need to replace the FEP in the worst case. Plus some print bits can attach to the FEP real hard, so you need to bump them off to assure succesful print next time (there's videos about that too). So get a funnel and some disposable paint filters for this purpose.
Ok, third tip as a bonus: the second most important thing for succesful prints, is getting the supports right. This comes with failure and watching loads of videos on the topic. But it's better to over-support than under (which usually gets you a failed print), and slicing apps like Lychee have some pretty useful functions for it. And big solid pieces should be made hollow, so they take less resin and cure ok, and then you need to make holes in them.... etc. etc.
04 October 2011, 04:40:37 PM
