3D Printing Forum

Hi all
I had the chance to buy a second hand Anycubic Photon 3D resin printer cheap.
It's a completely different ball game to FDM printing.
I'm enjoying the learning curve, and I am starting to get some good prints, some large ones, 100x80x40mm, OK by FDM standards that's small.
The quality of the prints is awesome.
I am still using my FDM printer for the larger prints of course.
The price of these printers are coming down, they can be bought for around $250, although the resin is more expensive than filament.
The sizes are getting bigger also, I can see these printers will be taking over from FDM printer.
The next couple of years are going to see some big changes as 3D printers as they are becoming a household item, will it be the next microwave?
What do you think?

Lez

I was thinking about getting an SLS printer soon. I know the quality is 10x better especially for smaller detailed figures. How bad is the smell of the resin? That would be my limiter, as it would be in my converted (hijacked) dining room with my other 3D printers.

The reason the printer was for sale was because of the smell, the person lived in a flat.
I have mine in a garage, it's a bit cold but the printer still works.
The smell is very noticeable, I also don't know what it would do to your health if you were breathing it in all the time.
Most people I have seen with these printer in there house have them in some sort of enclosure with an extraction fan attached.
Also be aware of the resin, you need gloves and an area that can be kept clean. You need to clean the prints in IPA or an ultrasonic cleaner, I use IPA in plastic containers.
It may sound a bit scary but don't let that put you off. Once you get used to the resin and cleaning the prints it's all straight forwards.
Do some research, google toytube etc, then decide, first if you want to get one, and second which one to get.
All I can say is the prints are worth the trouble.

Lez

My concern all along has been the fumes and the fact people are just dumping hazardous waste down the drain once they finishing processing their prints

I've seen some newer resins that are water washable....no need for alcohol.

I'd like to try one to make things like part cooling fan ducts....small, detailed pieces that FDM can struggle with.

Quick note....I added a Resin 3D Printer section to the forum

LePaul wrote: ↑January 20th, 2020, 11:53 am My concern all along has been the fumes and the fact people are just dumping hazardous waste down the drain once they finishing processing their prints

I've seen some newer resins that are water washable....no need for alcohol.

I'd like to try one to make things like part cooling fan ducts....small, detailed pieces that FDM can struggle with.

Paul you are not wrong about the fumes and dumping waste. I watched a few videos before I started using mine, I knew about the fumes but not about the disposal of the waste, I found out later about it by accident. I now dispose of the waste correctly by letting it solidify in the sun before I dispose of it. I believe you have all your printers on your garage that is your workshop. I have seen people build simple enclosures with an extractor fan to get rid of the fumes. My garage is open at one end and is always drafty so I don't need to worry too much about the fumes, I hope!!!!

Good to hear you are being responsible and safe!

I am very curious to try a resin printer with the water washable resin. I'm not sure I am ready to take that step with so many FDM printers I need to finish tuning and upgrading!

I have seen various water washable resins. The comments on them aren't that good. I guess it might be a bit early to use them, something for the near future. I will probably try one in a couple of months.
Lez

Uncle Jessy had very good results

I think that in future it will be really common, not like reading, cooking or making coffee, but still. For example, Ford, Volkswagen and BMW are already producing 3D-printed parts for their vehicles. Late last year, BMW announced that it had fitted its one-millionth 3D-printed part for its BMW i8 Roadster. I am not sure about households...but for different manufactures it will be popular.