How to Choose a Resin 3D Printer? Experts Give Their Advice!

In 1986, Charles Hull filed one of the first commercial patents in the 3D printing sector for stereolithography (SLA), a process which uses a laser to polymerize photosensitive resins, layer by layer. Since its invention, other photopolymerization methods have been developed including DLP and LCD which, instead of using a laser that will act point by point, use a screen to cure the entire layer of resin in a single pass. Though each method has its own specific characteristics, it should be noted that in general resin additive manufacturing is often known for its precision and the fineness of details that can be obtained – especially compared to FDM. But how to choose a resin 3D printer? Which process is the best fit for varied needs? We interviewed three experts in the sector to find out more!

Our first expect is Bo Pang, a 3D printing product manager at SHINING 3D, a leading provider of imaging and resin 3D printer solutions. He has been working in the industry for 8 years, mostly in SHINING’s R&D department, and focuses on resin 3D printing. Next, Robin Brockötter is the 3D printing supply chain manager for Europe and the UK at Hubs, the world’s largest peer-to-peer network of 3D printing services. He has been with the company for 8 years. Finally, our last expert is Julien Montenero, a facial, dental and maxillofacial prosthesis technician who has been using resin technology for different applications for 15 years.

Why Turn to Resin 3D Printing?

One of the main advantages of resin additive manufacturing is its ability to produce very detailed parts with high precision. However, among the processes, this still differs. Robin Brockötter explained what users could expect: “The specs of the different resin printers differ from one brand to another. For example, when it comes to LCD printers, which are generally more affordable than desktop SLA machines, the resolution of the screen determines the precision of the print. The layer thickness is usually a setting that can be adjusted. This varies anywhere between 25 microns to 200 microns per layer (draft mode on Formlabs for example). Meanwhile, laser SLA printers generally have the highest precision.”