Resin Printing

What is Needed:

Resin Printer - SLA/MSLA

Cleaning Solution

UV Curing Solution

Additional Concerns:

Air Filtration

Build Plate

System to Filter Used IPA

My Setup:

• Printer: Anycubic Photon Mono X

• Cleaning and Curing: Anycubic Wash and Cure Plus

• Air Filtration: Anycubic Air Pure Filters

• Build Plate - Biqu Magnetic Spring Steel Plate

I also ordered a few bottles of Elegoo resin in Grey, White, and Clear Green. I also ordered a bottle of Anycubic Resin in Pure Black.

I first printed the included test file, which is a cube on a small stand. It printed well. After one failed print, I started printing the Peacemaker bust and stand. Peacemaker printed great. The stand did not print at all, and there was some cured resin in the vat. After cleaning the up, I reprinted the stand, which looked great this time.

Next, I printed a pair of Mando's. They also printed great. But then I started having adherence problems. I have had multiple print failures because the print is sticking to much to the FEP sheet to peal off. And I also had a problem with details in an Eiffel Tower model. I don't think that is a problem with the printer, probably the model itself.

After a number of failed prints, including a print that cured an entire bottle of resin into basically a resin brick. This was after updating the firmware. Note: Always reboot the machine after an update. I work in IT, I should know this, therefore I accept the expensive penalty.

After some research, I discovered that if you apply some PTFE lubricant to the FEP sheet, it reduces the grip on the print, which means the build plate adherence is greater, resulting in less failures. I tried it. I cleaned everything really good then applied some WD40 Specialist Dry Lubricant with PTFE. I then printed off a pair of baby Groots.

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Just prior to traveling overseas for a work conference, the FEP sheet on my resin printer developed a hole in it. I was trying a large print that takes up the majority of the build volume of the printer. In addition to the large size, I also adjusted up the exposure time of the resin because it was a "clear" red resin. I believe this cause the resin to cure too much to the FEP sheet, particularly in one area of the sheet, and over time, the hole developed. I do not know if this is in fact the case, but it is the best guess I have based on what I saw. In any case, I ordered new FEP sheets, including an nFEP sheet right before going to London.

While overseas, I got COVID and felt pretty out of it for a few weeks, so I didn't do much with the printer. I did replace the FEP sheet with the new nFEP sheet. It was working great until I made the mistake of using my metal putty knife to remove a failed print from the nFEP and put a small divot in the sheet. I didn't puncture it, but the pressure on the sheet during the next print created a hole. I wonder if this happened with the previous sheet as well. In any case, no more metal on the FEP sheet.

With a new FEP sheet and a releveling, I have been doing some pretty good prints. I have had a few small failures, but nothing extremely major. I have a couple of small projects that I will be doing soon (experiments, my first model, and some Christmas gifts). I have also been trying to paint some models with some interesting results. My first impression on paint is it works much better on resin, but some really good results on both materials.