3D printing has many avenues of applications and functions in today’s world. From creating small-scale figurines to life-size structures, 3D printing is rapidly taking over as the go-to choice for manufacturing and production. These printers are fuelled by either filaments or 3D printing resins – both of which have their own unique approach and applications.
When comparing filaments to 3D printing resins, we see an immediate difference. Filaments are solid materials that are fed into a printer, where the nozzle melts the specific material to make it malleable before applying it to the print bed. Whereas 3D printing resins are liquid and cured by UV light to solidify the finished product. Today, we talk about resins and their fundamentals.
What Are 3D Printing Resins?
- Liquid Photopolymers: 3D printing resins are liquid photopolymers that solidify when exposed to UV light. This allows for more detailed and intricate 3D models and objects to be created with a compatible 3D printer.
- Used for Stereolithography: Stereolithography describes a process of 3D printing that utilises liquid resins by applying the liquid layer and selectively curing areas of the applied layers during the printing process. This curing process is done via an LED or laser light source that exposes the resin to UV light. This process is also referred to as SLA or vat polymerisation.
- Photosensitive Material: 3D printing resins contain photo-initiators that react to UV light exposure. These initiators cause the material to change phase condition from a liquid to a solid. It allows for more precision during prints, as the layer of liquid resin can be solidified at specific areas and remain in liquid condition at other areas to either add to the malleability of the object or serve as “glue” for the next layer.
- Post-Processing: Once an object is finished printing, the 3D printing resin must be cured, cleaned, and excess resin must be removed. The curing process happens within a curing station – exposing the object to UV light to further solidify the object. This process can be tweaked and tinkered with to achieve various properties, such as malleability, flexibility, and other properties. There are many types of 3D printing resins as well, each with their own unique set of properties to achieve various results.
3D Unique is your answer when you need a supplier of 3D printing resins in South Africa. We also sell a variety of filaments to ensure that your printer is always fuelled and ready for the next build. Feel free to browse our online store and place your order directly on our website today.
