Resin printing

Resin 3D printing in Sydney

Resin printing, or SLA, uses a laser to harden liquid resin one layer at a time. The layers are so thin you can barely see them, so parts come out smooth with sharp edges and crisp text. We print on Formlabs Form 3L printers in our Sydney workshop, then wash and cure every part before it ships.

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Printed in Sydney, usually within 1–3 business days, and shipped Australia-wide.

Inside a laser resin printer. The part hangs from the platform and each layer is hardened against the film at the bottom of the tank.

How resin printing works

On a laser resin printer the part grows upside down. The build platform dips into a tank of resin with a clear, flexible film for a floor, and a laser fires up through the film, hardening the resin wherever it hits. The laser spot is about the width of a hair.

After each layer the platform lifts, fresh resin flows in and the next layer forms underneath. We print at 0.1 mm layers, which are already hard to see and still let a build finish overnight.

Cure, peel, refill. The flexible film bends away so each layer comes off gently.

Peeling each layer free

Each layer hardens against the film, so it has to come free before the next one starts. A flexible film peels away gradually as the platform rises, like tape, so the part feels less force and needs lighter supports.

This is where most failed resin prints go wrong. Supports and the angle a part sits at are really about getting it through thousands of peels in one piece.

Laser or screen

Many resin printers light a whole layer at once through a screen. Ours draw each layer with a laser, which gives smooth curves and the same detail across the whole platform. The trade-off is speed on a full tray.

Every resin part is washed, cured and has its supports removed before it ships.

Washing and curing

A part straight off the printer is wet and only partly set. A wash station rinses it in alcohol for about 15 minutes, then lifts it out so thin sections don't soak and swell. After curing, we clip off the supports and tidy the spots where they touched.

White resin 3D printed parts curing under orange-filtered UV light on the turntable of a Formlabs Form Cure — Parts curing under UV light.

Why curing matters

A curing unit turns the parts under UV light while heating them. That finishes hardening the resin and bonds the layers together, so a cured part is equally strong in every direction. It makes a big difference: in one maker's tests, a standard resin went from 38 MPa to 65 MPa with a full cure.

When resin is the right choice

Pick resin when a part has to look right: display models, figures, product mock-ups or anything with small text. It's also the best choice for a mould master, because every bit of surface finish carries into the copy.

Standard resin is stiff but stretches only about 6% before it breaks, so it snaps rather than bends. For parts that clip together or take knocks, SLS nylon is a better fit.

A finished build of white resin parts on their supports, hanging from the build platform inside a Formlabs Form 3L — A finished build, still on its supports.

Designing a part for resin

Resin holds the finest detail of our three methods, but a few rules keep a print in one piece. A hollow part needs a drain hole, or trapped resin can crack it. Supports leave tiny bumps where they touch, so if one face has to stay clean, say so in the note and we'll keep them off it.

Design guide for resin
Feature	Recommended
Wall joined to the part on several sides	At least 0.4 mm
Wall standing on its own	At least 0.6 mm
Overhang without supports	Up to 1 mm, at no less than 19° from flat
Holes	At least 0.75 mm, more if longer than 12 mm
Raised detail	0.3 mm high, 0.4 mm wide
Engraved detail	0.4 mm deep, 0.5 mm wide
Gap between moving parts	0.5 mm
Drain hole in a hollow part	At least 3.5 mm across

Large resin parts

Our resin printers take parts up to 335 × 200 × 320 mm, which is big for resin. A part that fills most of that space needs careful orientation and supports, so we quote it by hand instead of instantly.

Material

Standard Resin
Crisp detail and smooth finish, lowest cost
A rigid resin for detailed display models and visual prototypes, with a smooth surface finish. It is brittle and unsuitable for load-bearing parts, impact or repeated stress.
Colours:BlackDark GrayWhite

Colours shown on the quote page are the ones in stock today.

Specifications

Printer: Formlabs Form 3L
Maximum part size: 335 × 200 × 320 mm
Materials: Standard Resin
Layer height: 0.1 mm
Accuracy: ±0.5%, or ±0.2 mm on small parts
Finish: Smooth, washed and UV cured
File formats: STL, STEP, OBJ, 3MF, GLB and GLTF, up to 50 MB

SLS, resin and FDM compared

Not sure this is the right method? Upload your file and every method shows a starting price, so you can weigh them up.

	Resin 3D Printing	SLS 3D Printing	FDM 3D Printing
How it builds	A laser hardens liquid resin	A laser fuses nylon powder	A hot nozzle lays down melted plastic
Layer height	0.1 mm	0.11 mm	0.2 mm, down to 0.12 mm
Supports	Thin supports, leaving small marks	None	Only under steep overhangs
Surface	Smooth, layers hard to see	Fine sandy matte	Visible layer lines
Strength by direction	The same every way once cured	Nearly the same every way	Weakest across the layers
Handles heat	Poorly, in standard resin	Well, 113 °C under load	54 °C (PLA) to 92 °C (ASA) under load
Accuracy	±0.5%, at least ±0.2 mm	±0.5%, at least ±0.3 mm	±0.5%, at least ±0.5 mm
Largest part	335 × 200 × 320 mm	165 × 165 × 300 mm	400 × 400 × 400 mm
Best for	Display models, fine detail, mould masters	Working parts, moving assemblies, short runs	Low-cost prototypes, big parts, jigs

Resin 3D Printing questions

Will I see layer lines on a resin print?

Barely. At 0.1 mm the layers are very hard to see and parts feel smooth. You may find a few small marks where the supports were attached.

How big can a resin part be?

Up to 335 × 200 × 320 mm. Parts close to that size are checked and quoted by hand instead of instantly.

Are resin prints strong?

Standard Resin is rigid but snaps under load, so it suits display and concept models best. For parts that bend, clip together or see heat, SLS nylon is usually the better fit.