When most people think of 3D printing , they may think of an FDM (Fuse Deposition Modeling or Molten Filament Manufacturing) printer - a thin plastic filament fed through a hot extruder that moves on the bed to deposit material layer by layer to ultimately build the parts. However, if you're considering joining the 3D printing trend, you might realize that FDM printers aren't the only game in town. You may even have read some resin 3D printers online, and if you have read any articles, you will know that resin 3D printers tend to provide more detailed printing.
While this is true, it has more nuances than just details and accuracy. Resin printing is similar to FDM printing in many ways, but there are some major differences, which make resin printers perform well where FDM printers lack. When evaluating the type of printer you are buying, it is key to understand the advantages and disadvantages of resin printing and how they apply to what you are going to print.
resin printers work similarly to the FDM model because they build the material layer by layer – that's the similarity. As Formlabs explains, resin printers use photosensitive resin - usually as liquid in a bath or water tank, but some printers use drums or nozzles to apply resin layer by layer - and light sources to cure the resin. The type of light source may also be different.
Stereo-Lithography (SLA) uses directional UV laser to cure one point at a time and tracks out one layer before entering the next layer, while digital light processing (DLP) and liquid crystal display (LCD) printers use projectors and mirrors or LCD masks and light sources to cure the entire layer at once before entering the next layer. No matter what type of resin printer you use, the printer creates a very thin layer at a time and then moves the piece vertically before starting the next layer. In most cases, once the printing is completed, the work requires additional curing by exposure to UV light or moderate heat.
resin printing – especially SLA – is one of the oldest and most mature 3D printing technologies around, which means the process is already very perfect at this point. This gives resin printers some key advantages in the FDM competition. The most important advantage of resin printers is their high resolution and detail. Since resin printers use light to cure resin baths, they can produce very detailed parts compared to FDM printers.
A typical example is the 0.1mm accuracy of the $499 Anycubic Kobra Plus to the $529 Anycubic Photon Mono X's 10 micron (0.01mm) accuracy - the resin printer is about 10 times more accurate than the FDM model at similar prices in the same company. With the improvement of accuracy, DLP and LCD printers have a slight speed advantage over FDM printers, as they can cure the entire layer at once, rather than tracking it with an extruder head – although the resin printer loses a little advantage as the prints need to be rinsed and cured after printing.
Similarly, support is another major advantage of FDM printers. Since partial weight of the printed object is suspended by liquid resin, the support does not need to be as strong as an FDM printer. What's more, you don't usually need that much support when printing with resin. Less, thinner support means parts printed with resin are easier to clean than FDM printers. However, resin printers are not without their drawbacks.
When you buy a printer, running costs are a serious consideration, especially if you want to generate revenue from it. Generally speaking, your biggest expense in 3D printing will be resin or filaments, but resin printers sometimes have consumable parts and may need to be replaced faster than FDM printers. For example, in Peopoly's comment on Feihong, we noticed that its LCD has a service life of about 400 hours and a replacement cost of $100.
When discussing the cost of materials, Anycubic sold 1 kg of UV resin for $22 to $69.99, while PLA at the same location is priced from $21.99 to $26. At first glance, it seems that the value proposition is heavily inclined toward FDM printers, but things get a little bit more balanced as resin printers use less material on the support.That being said, FDM printers far outweigh resin printers in terms of initial investment.
Creality Ender 3 is a reliable entry-level FDM printer that costs $189 and is usually sold for around $160. On the other hand, the similar-sized Creality HALOT-LITE retails for as much as $579. To add to the injury, curing and washing machines – these are not required, but definitely recommended to get a uniform print – are usually up to $200. Even if running costs are an easy task, the initial investment gap between FDM and resin printers means that FDM printers are certainly better value than resin alternatives.
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