So, you have set up your shiny new resin 3D printer and now want to produce beautiful models. Well, this tutorial will tell you exactly what to do from filling the tank, starting a print via USB then the removal, cleaning, and final UV light curing to finish your model. This will be the overall workflow of a resin 3D print.
Every time you print with a Resin 3D printer like the LD-002H UV 3D Printer you will go through post-processing to have a sturdy and safe final model. This needs to happen because the model will have a thin layer of uncured resin residue which has to be cleaned off and also because the initial curing done by the 3D printer is not enough to fully cure the resin. Thus models printed from liquid resin must be washed in isopropyl alcohol (IPA), then allowed rest time so the IPA can fully evaporate off the model and then cured using UV light. By the end of this guide, you will have all the knowledge to start a print, remove it from a build platform, clean it, and then fully cure a resin 3D print so that you get the best possible final result. Contents to this guide are as follows.
- Starting a 3D Print on a Creality Resin Printer
- Removing a Resin 3D Print and Cleaning Your Build Platform
- Cleaning the Resin Print with the Creality Wash and Cure Station
- UV Curing the Resin Print with the Creality Wash and Cure Station
Curing and Washing Stations are the optimal post-processing method for resin-based 3D prints that takes all the hard work out of both of these requirements. They provide both a washing action and a UV light source for curing prints after they've been washed. Properly washing and curing resin 3D prints is crucial and these machines are an inexpensive way to handle the messy reality of resin 3D printing. It is possible to go through the workflow without a Wash and Cure machine (by emulating its proccesses) but if you don’t have one you are missing out on the full experience in terms of print quality and ease of use. Once you have one you will never go back. They take a lot of the fuss out of resin post-processing and streamlined my resin printing workflow making the process faster, less messy, and importantly more enjoyable. These machines just produce better models. See below for an image of the Creality UW-01 Wash and Cura Machine.
I highly recommend using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) over all other cleaning agents to achieve the best results with Creality Resins. Make sure not to pour Indian Pale Ale into the Curing and Washing Station as this won’t provide the results you’re looking for. If you are just starting your journey with resin 3D printers a great place to get an overview of this technology and the process to calibrate your print platform can be found here.
With this guide under your belt, the tutorial Preparing a Computer Model for Resin 3D Printing is your next port of call. That is going to dive into the best slicing software for resin 3D printing and give you a whole bunch of tips and tricks to produce your own custom 3D resin components. The final guide worth mentioning here is Finding Optimal Layer Exposure Time for Perfect Resin Prints which will do exactly what is stated. As always if you have any questions, queries, or things to add please let us know your thoughts!
Safety First and Foremost
Nitrile Gloves, Eye Protection, and Fume Masks are crucial, and having multiple of each is definitely a good investment. Also, make sure to dispose of the gloves safely after use. The goal is to have no skin contact with the uncured resin and to prevent any fumes from entering you. 3D Resin Printers machines work with photopolymer UV curing resin which when uncured can cause skin irritation as they are solvents. Only once the resin cures into a hard plastic it is safe to touch. Even still parts are not suitable for food or children's toy applications. To emphasise gloves are done after you have used them, try to prevent getting uncured resin on things, and if you do clean off the resin from the things.
For resin models to cure correctly, there needs to be a source of UV light. Cure stations have built-in LED UV lights that allow models to cure faster than sitting out in the sun. They also block UV rays from leaking out of the inside.
When printing with 3D resin printers you will want to place the acrylic cover on top when printing, not only to trap the fumes and allow them to be caught by the carbon filter but also to protect the resin in the tank from curing by latent UV light. The Creality Wash and Cure Station has sensors to detect the UV shield and will not start the curing and washing cycles without it. This will help to keep the UV light and fumes from Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) inside the machine.
Starting a 3D Print on a Creality Resin Printer
Whenever you purchase a Creality Resin printer like the LD-002H UV 3D Printer or the LD-002R UV 3D Printer it will come with a USB with printable models already stored inside it such as the Eiffel tower, see image below. These models are pre-baked to work with any normal Creality resin you put into the system, with the exposure time and first layer times already sorted. These are topics that will be explored in the next tutorial when we create printable model files from scratch using different slicing software. All resin 3D printers worth their salt will have pre-baked models ready to print so this process is generally applicable.
Simply at this stage let's get printing ASAP. Double-checking here that you have calibrated your Print Platform, if not check this guide before starting a print.
With that done make sure all your PPE is on and the 3D printer is turned on, lets stick a USB into the machine and then pour the resin into the tank of the 3D printer (to about the halfway point for these models). Then find the pre-loaded model on the USB and press play using the user interface on the 3D printing machine. As soon as you press play the Resin 3D printer will start moving the build platform downwards. You have successfully started your first 3D print! Place the acrylic top onto the printer and allow it to run undisturbed until finished. See the image below of me doing just this.
Removing a Resin 3D Print and Cleaning Your Build Platform
So a couple of hours later you will have a beautiful 3D print hanging upside down on your build platform, something like the image below. So this is what to do now.
So with all your personal protective equipment on the first process is to remove the resin print from the build platform. This is the preferred method as you want all the places to be cleaned of resin and where it is connected to the build platform often has uncured resin trapped inside. I like to remove supports at this stage too before washing and curing because I want all the places where the supports used to be to also be cleaned of uncured resin. They are easier to remove at this stage as well and leave fewer traces on the component. Supports tend to fire off like little arrows so be ready for this and definitely wear safety glasses.
The workflow is pretty straightforward and nearly identical for all resin 3D printing machines.
1. Set up an area that can easily be cleaned of resin (either a large silicone surface or multiple layers of paper towel) and make sure to put on all your PPE.
2. Take off the Acrylic top and remove the build platform from the 3D printer (usually by done unscrewing a thumbscrew) and lay it on the set up area.
3. Take the metal spatula and with a firm grip flex it off the build platform. This may take a couple of attempts from different directions to do perfectly. To make your life much easier at this stage definitely consider using a magnetic build plate.
4. If all is done correctly the model will pop off the build plate without damage. See below for an image of this happening. You can then reattach the build platform to the 3D printer and start another print if so desired. Note here - if printing with different resin take the time to clean the build platform with IPA to get the best result.
Cleaning the Resin Print with the Creality Wash and Cure Station
Now there are two modes to the Creality Wash and Cure Station. At this point in the workflow, we will be taking advantage of the wash stage. All wash and cure stations will have a very similar workflow.
The UW-01 Creality Washing and Curing Machine supports large-size models for cleaning and works great with smaller models too. The washing size is 170x120x160mm and the Curing size is 225x225x370mm. This Washing and Cure machine is particularly easy to use and has a very similar design language to the Creality LD-00H and Creality LD-00R so it won't look out of place in your Maker-verse.
There is a plastic container/tub/bucket with a very secure lid that comes with this machine. The lid for the container is airtight, which transforms the container into an incredible storage container. Although not tested by me, when properly locked, the container should keep all alcohol inside even if you accidentally knock it on its side.
For best model results fill this container with IPA. The container has markings on the outside showing how much you can put in there. Make sure to get a couple of litres of IPA when starting with these machines, 3 Litres will be the perfect amount to get it to the top of the height of the metal basket and 4.5 Litres will completely fill the tank. This IPA can be used many many times for many prints.
I recommend putting your just off the print bed component into the metal basket and then dunking it all directly into the washtub. These Wash and Cure machines have the ability to hold the build plate but I much prefer putting the model in the basket. See below for an image of the two set ups.
If your model is strong enough (hasn't got very fine details) give the metal basket a little shake at this stage otherwise place the Acrylic lid on top of the Wash and Cure station. Using the intuitive touch buttons turn on the setup and run the wash system for 6 minutes (you can do more or less, so long as the model is clean, this time has provided me with the best overall results). Doing this will turn on the agitator fan found at the bottom of the Wash and Cure machine letting the IPA clean all the surfaces of the model. This will not start unless the Acyrlic cover has been placed onto the machine. See below for the user interface of the Wash and Cure machine.
Once these 6 minutes are over, take the metal basket out of the IPA container, shake off the excess liquid and place it on a large silicone surface or multiple layers of paper towel in a well-ventilated area. Also, make sure to put the Lid onto the Container to prevent the IPA from evaporating away. As a note - make sure not to leave the model in the IPA for too long, if you leave your model submerged in there for a couple of days it will turn your model very very soft, ruining it, and also start dissolving into the IPA which will unnecessarily over saturate your IPA in the tub. When your IPA is fully saturated it is time to change it but under normal usage, this will only happen after hundreds of 3D prints.
Then allow the model to rest for around half an hour to an hour so that all the IPA evaporates off the surface of the model. You can check this visually or by touch (with your gloves on). If printed parts feel tacky after the first wash in IPA, rewash the parts in clean IPA for another 6 minutes. This is an important step as if you cure the piece with liquid IPA still on it it will leave little white burn marks on the surface of your component. See below for an image of this.
UV Curing the Resin Print with the Creality Wash and Cure Station
Welcome to the final step! Make sure you still have your PPE on as the model is still not fully cured and touching the surface of the piece can still be hazardous. This step will increase the strength of the model and make it perfectly okay to touch with your hands.
As mentioned above do not start this process until the IPA has completely evaporated off the model. If you start to cure it with the machine before letting this happen it will result in white marks anywhere the IPA was. The UV evaporates the IPA off the resin part too quickly and this results in those marks.
With a model that is ready to be cured, you can now take the Container full of IPA out of the machine and place the round curing table into the machine. At this point in the workflow, we will be taking advantage of the cure stage on your machine. The round curing table has mirrors on the bottom to help project the UV light under the prints so that you can get all the sides with a single cure cycle. Then place the model in the centre of the turn of the turntable. This will make the best use of the UV lights, see below an image of all of this happening.
Now put that Acrylic cover back onto the setup as this machine will not start without the cover on and it is much safer when it is. Use the UI to start the curing process with 4 minutes a good starting point. The Creality Wash and Cure machines have a dual-band UV light source and a Magnetic 360° rotatable platform with Adjustable three-gear speed. Every minute it will change orientation. The slowest speed has always served me well but it is up to you. If you have really fine details a faster speed and shorter curing time could produce a better end model. See an image below of the machines running, with a model that size I would run it for 4 minutes check on it, and likely run it again for 3 minutes.
If you over cure a model it will change colour, be very brittle, and look burnt. If you do not cure a model enough it will feel tacky, you can mark/smudge it with your fingers, and it will be unsafe to touch. It is always better to under-cure a model as you can always cure it more. You can't un-cure an over-cured model, however, so take the curing process in little steps. See below for an image showing an over-cured transparent model, a perfectly cured transparent model, and a slightly smudged resin 3D print.
Future Related Content
Future content is going to dive into figuring out layer exposure settings for more exotic resins, improving adhesion of your prints, and all the tips on free slicing software that create the files for your 3D printers from digital models. Thus you will have all the information you need right at your fingertips so that you can forge ahead with all the knowledge on your belt, allowing you to consistently produce stunning resin printed models and functional components. Just check out those images below for some inspiration.
