We suppose [Dan Beaven] got up one day and said, “I’ll make my own resin 3D printer, with resin management and an advanced separation mechanism!” It’s a build log that shows just how possible it is to roll your own resin printer.
The machine isn’t finished yet, but the example prints coming off it are already very impressive. [Dan] stopped the print midway to get this photo of the detail on the stairs in the standard rook torture test.
[Dan] wants a lot of features from his machine that some of the more polished commercial printers are only now offering. One really nice one is the sliding and twist separation instead of tilt. This will allow for cleaner separation between layers during a print, a lower failure rate, and also faster print times.
He also added resin management with a peristaltic pump. This reduces the size of the build vat, and less resin will be exposed to the elements and wasted. It also means that the printer can run unattended. In the resin handling area of the printer he’s also added a carbon air filter. This lets him run higher performing resins without gassing him out of house and home with fumes.
We like how [Dan] just runs right ahead and puts the printer together. He even points out kludges on the machine that are holding it together long enough for him to print a more functional part for the 3D printer– on the 3D printer. We look forward to the next installment.
Hopefully he posts an update, since this was posted 2 years ago.
I plan on doing an update soon. Now that I read this its motivating me to be just a little bit less lazy :)
Well, as some extra incentive for you, if I was going to build a 3D printer DLP is the way I’d go without question. Tall operating assembly, with resin pump and probably a water boundary layer with a quartz bottom window to build from.
My problem is time… that which I do not have.
My understanding was that resing printers aren’t necessarily more difficult to build than plastic filament ones or at least not so difficult as to be outside of hobbyist capability. Isn’t the reason more of us aren’t using resin that the resin itself is very expensive? Every so often there is a build article about the printer, some people always get on and comment about how much better resin printers are and how we should all be using them and/or the specific commenter would definitely build/buy a resin printer if they had the time and inclination to obtain any 3d printer at all. I’m waiting for the article that shows how I can make resin from ingredients in my kitchen or at least an ad from a company that has figured out how to make and sell resin to me in a price range that makes sense from a non-professional perspective! Then I might start to actually regret buying the pile of parts that sits in my den waiting to one day become a functioning plastic filament printer.
Just a question: these resin printers support the addition of food colorants (like in fuels) to generate colored prints? I understand that they use some sort of liquid. Very cool tech and build! Congrats!
Sort of. The resins require pigments and dyes that are compatible with the resin. The pigments and dyes can affect the material properties, cure times, and amount of print through (resin unintentionally cured under the expected layer).
But give it a shot!
Pigments or dies will probably affect light absorption…
With most prints and depending on the settings only the first 100um needs to cure. Any additional exposure and you’ll get bleed through to the previously printed layers. Sometimes it actually helps adding dye’s to prevent bleedthrough. I’ve added graphite powder to many of my builds. It allows 50um print layers with almost no bleedthrough. Blind holes and pockets printed much better. When I find the time I plan on documenting many of these “lessons learned”, and hopefully exchange tips with others who have refined their prints.
Please do. This sounds very interesting.
Doesn’t that prevent “post-curing” the part to add strength?
It only applies when the part is being printed in the vat. When you take it out for post cure, theres no additional resin to cure to the part.