Resin 3D printers are among the most popular printers in the market today. Find out how a resin 3D printer works.
Resin 3D printers have increasingly gained immense popularity over the recent years. That is mainly due to their ease of use and cost-effectiveness. Unlike other 3D printers that use filaments and powdered materials, resin printers are relatively cheaper in terms of initial, ongoing, and overall maintenance costs. They also produce 3D prints with super smooth and finer details.
They are primarily suitable for creating medium to small objects at home and in-office spaces. While resin 3D printers are quite popular, most people do not understand how they work. As a result, they usually buy the machines and end up with frustrations when using them. The following article explains how a resin 3D printer works.
RESIN 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGIES
Various 3D printing technologies exist for resin printers. The distinctions mainly lie in the light sources, but some disparities also result from storing and distributing the resin during printing.
Vat polymerization is one of the resin 3D printing technologies, whereby the liquid photopolymer stays in the vat instead of injection via the nozzle.
The other technology is called the material jet technology. Unlike the former, the technology sprays resin droplets onto the build surfaces and simultaneously cures them with UV light. It’s among the most accurate and fastest resin 3D printing technologies.
TYPES OF 3D RESIN PRINTERS AND HOW THEY WORK
A resin 3D printer has multiple components, but the basic ones include resin vat, FEP film, build plate, UV LCD screen, UV acrylic lid, linear rails, display unit, USB drive, and thumbscrews. The main types of 3D resin printers include SLA, Digital Light Processing, and Liquid Crystal Display.
STEREOLITHOGRAPHY (SLA)
An SLA resin 3D printer works through a UV laser light, applied onto the surface of a photopolymer container, called resin vat. It uses the light in a particular pattern to form the desired shape. The printer features a building platform, a light source, a resin vat, an elevator, and galvanometers.
The elevator is for increasing or decreasing the building platform’s height to form layers. The galvanometers are movable mirrors for aligning the laser beam. When exposed to UV light, the uncured resin in the vat hardens in layers, forming the needed 3D model. The printer repeats the process severally until the completion of the model.
DIGITAL LIGHT PROCESSING (DLP)
DLP is almost similar to SLP, but it uses a digital projection surface as the light source. Unlike the SLA technology, which can only print one point at a time, a DLP printer can create a complete layer at a time. That is why DLP 3D printers are much faster than SLA printers. Besides, a DLP printer does not have moving parts or complex systems, making it highly reliable. It has micromirrors that allow light projection at various sections and printing of layered patterns.
LCD / MSLA
Liquid Crystal Display or masked SLA 3D printers harness UV beams directly from the LEDs glowing through the LCD screen. The technology makes 3D printing relatively easy since the additional components are relatively inexpensive. However, the LCD screen emits light that can harm the machine’s organic compounds, prompting frequent replacements.
Resin 3D printers are relatively simple, without a lot of moving parts. Thus, they are usually more affordable than other types of 3D printers. Crypto platforms such as the BitIQ have made it easier for you to order and pay for a resin 3D printer with Bitcoin. You can also trade crypto on the platform for substantial profits, apart from processing payments.
Comments