Instructions for Use "IFU" for Formlabs and other SLA laser printers

These guidelines can be used for printing our 3D resins with Formlabs and other SLA laser printers.

Standard settings for printing 3D resins with Formlabs and other SLA laser printers:

  • Z layers of 50-100 microns (lower or higher are also printable)
  • Most of our basic 3Dresyns can be printed with the Form 2 in open mode using Formlabs Clear v2 and pouring them in the vat directly, and in the Form 3 using Standard Clear or Grey settings with the universal cartridge system of “ProtoART"
  • Some specific 3Dresyns may need tuning with our Fine tuner FT1 and LB1 Bio, which will be supplied for free as samples if/when needed, to print them in specific printing specifications, such as specific z layers

Basic and multifunctional resins

Our 3Dresyns can be divided in two groups: basic and multifunctional resins.

Basic 3Dresyns are our standard 3D resins before any optional extra functionality is added online by you during ordering. After functional additives are added to our basic 3Dresyns they become multifunctional 3Dresyns, which require more expertise and control of their 3D printing settings.

Keep in mind that over 2000 colors and up to 4 functional additives among around 50 can be added online to over circa 500 basic 3Dresyns for online custom design of ready to use of billions of materials choices.

Additionally, around 50 functional additives can also be purchased separately for their addition by your own at your chosen dosage to meet your exact specifications.

This optional multifunctional offering may appear overwhelming to newcomers to 3D printing. If you want to keep it simple, then do not add any of the optional functional additives to your order. Just ignore the bunch of offered "optional" options!

If you want to play and need specific functionality or performance to meet your unmet needs, then explore our impressive multifunctional offering!

Due to this challenging multifunctional 3D resins offering, "black box" printers and specially closed mode printers, such as the Formlabs, may require further tuning or adjustment for optimum printing performance (tuning of printing speed and resolution) at your specific printing specifications, such as your chosen z layer thickness.

Fine tuning for custom control of printing quality and resolution

Our 3Dresyns may be easily tuned or adjusted by you for getting optimum printing quaility and resolution with our Fine Tuners FT1 and LB1 Bio:

  • Fine Tuner FT1 is our favourite general purpose "photo accelerant" which has been designed to adjust and boost the print speed of our 3Dresyns to different SLA, DLP & LCD 3D printers working with ultraviolet and visible wavelengths up to 410 nm. Add it if necessary is increasing dosages of 0.1-0.2%
  • Fine Tuner LB1 Bio is our general-purpose clear resolution increaser or resolution-er, which has been designed for improving resolution and detail of prints by reducing light bleeding and undesired overcure of our clear and coloured resins. It is recommended for improving XYZ resolution and reducing overcure and "support fusing or merging" of clear and coloured 3D resins in SLA, DLP & LCD printers working with lights from 350 to 410 nm, including 405 nm LEDs, lasers and standard DLP projectors and LCDs. An ultra-low water absorption version is also available: Fine Tuner LB1 Bio ULWA. Add it if necessary is increasing dosages of 0.3-0.4%

Note: If you still need certain specific performance to suit your individual printer settings and specific product design, then we offer even more fine-tuning additives, such as around 9 resolutioners for improving the resolution or detail of your 3D prints and around 7 photo accelerants for adjusting the printing speed, and even more detailed consulting services that will help you to enhance those properties.

Detailed Instructions for Use "IFU" for Formlabs and other SLA laser printers

Follow our Instructions for Use in detail for your specific printing specifications.

The 3Dresyns team has designed simple instructions for finding in just simple steps the best printing settings of our 3D resins in your printer. Our calibration process is ideal for getting in just few easy steps the optimum settings in your printer.

Printing

  • Choose open or closed mode without or with the universal cartridge system of ProtoART, or an alternative universal cartridge system
  • Use Formlabs Clear v2 profile in the Form2, or
  • Use Formlabs Standard Clear or Grey profile in the Form3
  • Some specific 3Dresyns may need tuning with our Fine tuner FT1 and LB1 Bio, which will be supplied for free as samples if/when needed, to print them in specific printing specifications, such as specific z layers

Step 1: Select your z layer thickness, or the thickness of each printed layer, typically between 10-100 microns, for example, 50 microns as standard for high resolution printing

Step 2: Select your printing settings, supports positioning, density, tip size, etc.

Step 3: Start printing 3DTest1: the wedge (or the coin) without any supports

Print 3DTest1: the wedge, in case you are interested in printing big parts and want to have a feeling of the strength of the wedge

  • Directly print the wedge:
    • adjust the wedge size to the total surface of your prints on the build platform (optional)
    • print the wedge directly on the build platform. If it breaks during its separation with the spatula due to excessive adhesion to the platform, then print it with supports or sidewards to facilitate its removal
  • Use the printed wedge to screen the peeling or separation force, the flexibility/rigidity as well as the fracture resistance of the material 
  • After printing 3Dtest1, evaluate the properties of the printed wedge to screen its flexibility/rigidity as well as its fracture resistance:
    • Position the wedge vertically and force it sidewards gently and firmly to measure the thickness at which the wedge does not deform or bend at all. This value in mm will give an indication of the thickness threshold at which the material becomes rigid. Below this thickness threshold the material will appear relatively flexible
    • Position again the wedge vertically and force it sidewards strongly and firmly until it breaks to measure the maximum thickness at which the tip of the wedge breaks. This value in mm will give an indication of the toughness of the material. The lower the thickness of the remaining wedge the tougher the material!!
  • Design a thinner or thicker, a shorter or longer wedge depending on your needs, which will depend on the relative size of your printed parts:
    • Relatively thinner and longer wedges are ideal for small size works
    • Relatively thicker and shorter wedges are good enough for large size works
    • Relatively longer wedges help to identify smaller differences in rigidity/flexibility and in toughness since the maximum thickness, at which the tip of the wedge deforms and breaks upon pressure, can be measured with more precision
  • Depending on your initial results, test or not a more rigid or flexible, or harder or flexible, or less tough or tougher resin, considering your required flexural strength and overall specifications

Printing the wedge flat with the biggest possible size is ideal for evaluating the printability of big designs covering the whole vat or resin tank.

Print 3DTest1: the flat coin without supports, in case you are interested in printing small parts and want to have a feeling of the achievable xy resolution:

  • Printing the coin flat with the standard size as supplied is ideal for evaluating the printability and xy resolution
  • The flat coin is printed without supports directly on the build platform. This first calibration test helps to identify the printability of a 2 mm thick coin of 25 mm of diameter, which can be printed for example with 20 z layers of 100 microns or with 40 z layers of 50 microns. This fast calibration file consumes very little resin and provides a proof of printability with the chosen settings, as well as an indication of xy resolution since each concentric circle has certain width and depth
  • The first concentric line starts with a width and depth of 500 microns (0.5 mm), the following ones have 400, 300, 200,150, 100, 80, 60, 40, 20, 10, 5, and 2 microns
  • This fast calibration tests gives an indication of the xy resolution, since the thinnest observed circle will determine the xy resolution of the resin with the chosen printing settings

Hints to overcome printing failure

  • It there is any printing failure, reflected because the prints are not fully printed, it is crucial to determine at which stage the printing failed:
    • If the whole print separated from the build platform the energy dosage  needs to be increased (by increasing the laser power or decreasing the scanning speed) to promote the adhesion of the resin to the build platform
      • With open mode laser printers the laser power can be increased, or the scanning speed can be decreased, to increase the energy dosage and cure
      • With closed mode printers, such as Formlabs, the addition of Fine Tuner FT1 in steps of 0.1% is recomended to increase the adhesion on the build platform
    • If part of the print was printed and another part remained adhered to the build platform the energy dosage needs to be increased or decreased by increasing the laser power or by decreasing the scanning speed with open mode laser printers, or by increasing or reducing the dosage of Fine Tuner FT1 with closed mode Formlabs printers.
      • Increase the energy dosage (or add Fine Tuner FT1 in steps of 0.1% with closed mode Formlabs printers) in case the printed part left on the build platform is too tender: under cured
        • Under cured resins tend to have too poor adhesion on the previously printed layers or be too tender or weak to resist printing forces
      • Decrease the energy dosage (or reduce the dosage of Fine Tuner FT1) in case the printed part left on the build platform is too brittle or if the print adhered too much on the resin tank: over cured
        • Over cured resins tend to have too high adhesion on the resin tank or be too brittle to resist printing forces
      • Once you find the right printing settings for printing 3Dtest1 well, then you can use them for printing 3Dtest2: the flat coin with supports shown below:



Print 3DTest2: the flat coin with supports

  • Once the flat coin is printed without defects you may print 3Dtest2, the flat coin with supports. This second calibration file provides proof of printability of the coin with supports with the optimised settings used for printing the wedge or the flat coin without any supports, as well as an indication of xyz resolution, since depending on the obtained printed thickness of the coin, the z resolution will be higher or lower. If for example, the thickness of the printed coin after removing the supports would be 2.1 mm, knowing that the theoretical thickness is 2.0 mm, the accuracy would be =(2.1-2.0)x100/2=5 % z accuracy
  • The tips or connections of the supports to the coin are deliberately quite thin to permit printing structures with minimum supports, or with minimum tip sizes, to reduce the marking of the connections on the surface of prints

Evaluation the quality of the printed coin with supports

  • Evaluate the xy resolution as shown before by reading the smallest width and depth of the printed concentric circles
  • Measure the thickness of the coin vs the theoretical 3Dtest1 thickness, which as supplied has 2.0 mm, to quantify the z axis accuracy. This will permit you to calculate the % relative error in the z axis
  • If you are not fully satisfied with the quality, or detail, or accuracy of your prints it is necessary to fine tune the 3D resin with our Fine Tuners FT1 and LB1 Bio, and/or adjust your printing settings, e.g. by increasing or decreasing the laser power or scanning speed if your printer permits it. Depending on the origin of the print quality problem, different solutions are available
  • If you are not fully satisfied with the quality or detail or precision of your prints it is necessary to fine tune the 3D resin with our Fine Tuners and/or change your Formlabs printing profile. Depending on the origin of the print quality problem, different solutions are available

Basic tools needed for calibration (click on the links to find commercial references):

Cleaning and processing of prints:

General Information

  • The final physical and mechanical properties of any 3D printed material depend, among other things, on the printer specifications, printing settings, and post processing protocol. Results depend on few variables such as wavelength, power, exposure time, cleansing protocol (chemicals used for cleansing, cleansing time, cleansing temperature, etc) and light post-processing or light box curing (wavelength, power, post curing time, temperature, etc).

Consulting: