FlashForge Cloud

Guide for selecting the best resin 3D printer

2022-09-05
3D Printing

Selecting a proper resin 3D printer can be a difficult task. There are so many resin printer types on the market, and they all promise different features. So how do you know which one is right for you? This guide you ways on selecting the best resin 3D printer.

1. Print volume is large enough to fulfill your print needs

Selecting the best resin 3D printer, the first point is to select the one whose build volume is large enough. As we know, resin 3D printer is generally used for printing the absolute smallest thing possible with the highest resolution, so, more often than not, the resin 3D printers are smaller in size and build volume than FDM 3D printers. If you're intend to print large parts with resin printing method, the best resin printers should be large enough to cover your model.

best resin 3d printer print volume

3D printer with larger build volume is also good in batch production. Larger build volume means larger resin vat that allows users to set more models on the vat film. More than one model is photocured and formed at the same time, which greatly enhances print efficiency. 

2. Print precision is high enough to reach fine details

The best resin 3D printer is the one capable of restoring the details and fine design of the digital 3D models showing on your computer. Print precision plays the role for that. For LCD resin 3D printer, factors deciding print precision are light source, print resolution and pixel size. 

If comparing the pixel as a dot, the pixel size is just the the dot size and the print resolution is just the number of dots on the LCD screen. Under the same light source intensity, the more dot numbers there are and the smaller the dot size it is, the more precise the print result will be. In other words, best resin 3D printer is the one with higher print resolution and smaller pixel size. Users are suggested to clearly check these two parameter on the product introduction part of the page.

best resin printer with high precision

Flashforge Foto 6.0 is a best resin printer using a 6-inch 2K LCD screen, already reaching 0.05mm resolution in X-Y plane and 0.05mm layer height in Z direction. Note that even such resin 3D printers with relatively low-resolution as Foto 6.0 are capable of producing extremely fine details that are not easy to achieve on FDM printers. If getting advanced in much higher resolution, like Foto 8.9 of the 4K LCD screen and the Foto 9.25 of the 6K LCD screen, users can reach further finer details and surface texture, while users have to undertake more budget.

3. Print speed is fast enough to increase productivity

Among resin 3D printers, SLA, DLP, and LCD are three most commonly seen 3D printing technologies. LCD resin 3D printer and DLP resin 3D printer that adopt the surface-molding principle turn out to be much faster than the SLA resin 3D printer that uses point-molding principle and was developed at the earlier stage of resin 3D printing. Under this occasion, SLA printer type is hard to be claimed as the best resin 3D printer.

Now the question is choosing DLP or LCD? While DLP resin printer prints faster than LCD, the cost and price of DLP ones are much higher than LCD 3D resin printers. If you have sufficient budget, the best resin 3D printer for you is DLP type. It’s true that DLP resin 3D printer is of high configuration in all aspects of printing performance. It’s reasonable to believe that the most expensive one is the best one!

Nevertheless, budget is rendered as the most important factor when selecting a resin 3D printer. It’s never meant that LCD 3D printer of lower price and lower print speed (than DLP) won’t become a best cheap resin 3D printer for you. Its print speed is still much faster when compared with FDM 3D printers. How to distinct whether a resin 3D printer prints fast or slow?

best resin 3d printer prints fast

In light curing resin 3D printing, the platform is lowered down into the tank bottom, and the light source is illuminated at the liquid resin on the vat bottom. The newly cured resin gets solidified and goes through the complex peeling process, after which it continues to cure the next new layer. The best cheap resin 3D printer of LCD is manufactured with quick peeling mechanism, so as to get advanced in the printing speed.

4. Open resin compatible

Only those compatible with multiply types of resin can be treated as the best resin 3D printer! Some resin 3D printers only allow users to use their specialized resin as the print consumables, which is a big limitation. Quality 3D printers are designed with open systems and compatible with more third-party resin. That’s the very indeed useful resolution to lessen obstacles for 3D printer users!

5. Matched with a free slicer and well-configured parameter settings

Slicing is the first indispensable step in 3D printing, and a good slicing software can make preprocessing quick and easy. Most 3D printer producers offer a free slicer that users can freely download and use it. Reputed 3D printer manufactures will self-develop such a free slicer and have the parameter well set in the slicer. Users just need to set the machine type and resin kind, other settings would come on synchronously! Being able to realize those can be said as the best 3D printers.

6. Equipped with post-process tools

We all know that the resin 3D printed sample needs cleaning and post-processing. The post-cured sample would have higher strength and less deformation. Therefore, the best resin 3D printer 2022 is the one not only with printer unit, but also with a comprehensive post-process tools, including a cleaning machine, a curing box, cleaning solvent, cleaning gloves, etc, which help effectively improve print efficiency and reduce labor costs.

Write at the end

When it comes to resin 3D printers, there are a lot of factors to consider when trying to decide which is the best resin printer for your needs. We’ve looked at six different factors that can make one printer better than another – print volume, print precison, print speed, free slicer with well-set slicing parameters, compatibility with resins, and coming together with post-processing tools. Keep these in mind when you’re shopping your next 3D printer and you’ll be sure to find the perfect machine for your needs!

 

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