Jims 3D Print Shop

What Is LCD Resin 3D Printing?

LCD 3D printing, also called masked stereolithography or MSLA, is a common 3D printing technology that can achieve high-precision model printing and is widely used in many fields. For 3D printing enthusiasts or beginners, MSLA 3D printers are one of the most popular choices among consumer-grade 3D printers due to their ability to produce professional-grade resin prints. This technology is known for its high-speed resin 3D printing, offering rapid and accurate results. If you are searching for Resin printing near me, Jim's 3D Print Shop provides reliable, high-quality resin printing for hobbyists, creators, and businesses.

Jims 3D Print Shop

How it works

The build plate that holds the model upside down moves into a resin tank filled with liquid resin until it is only a few microns from the LCD screen. Below the tank, UV LEDs project light through the transparent areas of the LCD, curing only the portions of resin that form each layer. The remaining resin stays liquid while the build plate lifts slightly to prepare for the next layer. This process repeats until the model is complete. Unlike FDM printing, the orientation of a resin print has little effect on part strength because each layer chemically bonds to the next as it cures, creating a dense, detailed model with smooth surfaces. This makes the process ideal for top-rated resin 3D printing, whether you need miniatures, prototypes, or custom parts. Jim's 3D Print Shop proudly offers Resin printing Indiana customers can depend on for precision, consistency, and outstanding results.

Pros

Better resolution

The number one reason why you would want a print done with resins instead of Filaments is that resin-based 3D prints simply look better. Where the resolution of FDM printing is limited by the size of the nozzle used, resin-based printing is only limited by the size of the LED’S emitting the image (like a TV) into the liquid resin. This allows resin printing to reproduce very fine details in its models. They also come out with a much smoother finish that can only be achieved in FDM printing with a lot of post-processing.

Faster printing process

The process of printing with resin is considerably faster compared to printing with filament. In an FDM printer, the extruder needs to move around the print bed to deposit the molten filament along a specific pattern. This is a slow process due to the controlled way the filament must be extruded.

Resin printers have no such issues. In MSLA printing, a single layer is cured all at once in a single step. For this reason, fast-paced industries prefer using resin printers.

Stronger finished products

One of the major weaknesses of FDM printing is that its finished products exhibit strong anisotropy – or that their mechanical properties are not equal along all three axes. In particular, filament prints are weak against shear stresses acting along the direction of the layer lines because of the inherent weakness of the layer-to-layer boundaries.

The curing process allows for stronger layer-to-layer adhesion in resin-based printing, resulting in finished projects with mechanical properties that are much more uniform across all axes. Because of this property, prints made from resin are preferred for engineering components and functional parts.

Cons

More expensive - Printing with resin is more expensive, both in terms of the printer and the raw materials. While you can buy a desktop-scale FDM printer for about $250, the cheapest resin printer you can buy today will cost more than $500. If you want to go for one of the more popular models, you’ll have to fork over close to $2,000.

The cost of the liquid resin is also substantial. You can get a 1KG spool of PLA or ABS filaments for around $25, but some resins can be double or even triple that for the same weight. Also, with FDM printing the model is mostly hollow with infill around 15% or so, whereas a resin print is solid most of the time, consuming more material per layer.

The problem of printing with resin is that you need to fill the whole resin vat every time you start a project. Although the emission of UV radiation to the resin vat is highly controlled, it’s still not a perfect process. Inevitably, some of the unused resin would have gone through a process of premature curing. This limits the degree of recycling that can be done with unused resin.

No option for composite prints – High-end FDM printers can have multiple extruders or multi-material functionality, making it possible to create prints made with a combination of different filament materials and/or colors. This can prove really useful if you’re printing a model that requires support structures, as some materials are simply more suitable for support. For instance, PVA filament can be removed simply by soaking the finished print in water.

Resin-based printers do not have this advantage. A project must be printed in a single vat of resin, so the material will be uniform all throughout. This is quite limiting in terms of design opportunities, but also makes post-processing just a little more complicated.

Difficult and messy post-processing - In both FDM and Resin-based printing, post-processing is necessary if you want your prints to have that professional-grade finish. Support structures must be removed, imperfections sanded or polished away, and paint applied.

Removal of the support structures is much easier in FDM printing because of the option for composite printing. Although the surfaces of the prints made from filament have a lot more imperfections, the sanding and polishing process is pretty simple.

Resin post-processing is messy and hazardous. Before curing, supports are soft and need careful removal. You’ll also need to wash excess resin with isopropyl alcohol (or water for water-based resin). Gloves and a respirator are must-use safety gear. The resin work area becomes very messy, requiring plastic sheets or silicone mats. This entire process can be discouraging.

Photosensitive resin

Three basic components are found in all photopolymer resins: monomers, oligomers and photoinitiators. The first two are the basic building blocks of what will become the printed object’s solid long-chain polymers. Photoinitiators are light-sensitive molecules that drive polymerization.

In addition to these three components, resins contain additives that affect the printed material’s physical, chemical and aesthetic properties. For example, some resins will form thermoset materials that resist high temperatures while others will form thermoplastic materials that soften and deform when heated.