I’ve been doing 3d printing with PLA/PETG/ABS for about 10 years and I’m looking to try resin. I’m not all that familiar with the workflow besides knowing it’s UV cured. Is all curing done in the same machine? What are the reputable brands? What kind of build volumes are available?
Im personally very satisfied with the Mars series from Elegoo. Got the old Elegoo Mars (1) Pro, but thinking of an upgrade soon for slightly bigger print space.
Build volume is usually around 60x60x180mm and up to double that for the bigger ones.
Printing procedure goes: supporting and slicing (supports vary greatly from FDA printers, you make a few strategic “fingers” instead of low-fill platforms), printing, cleaning (in a separate alcoholic bath), and curing (in a separate curing box).
Some printers can do both printing and curing, though I have no experience with those.
Also, be aware that resin plays a big role, and that different types of resin need different settings for different printers. I’m personally very fond of the eSun resin from fepshop.com.
At last, please don’t put your resin printer anywhere near your living room or any closed room inside your house for that matter. Even if it has filters, the garage is a great place to put it. But this comes with a problem, as the printer needs a stable, ~25°C temperature, which you usually don’t have in the garage. I’ve built myself a “hotbox” for this purpose. The hotbox also shields for sunlight when doors are open, so you don’t have to worry when entering or leaving the garage. Just make sure to shade all doors and windows when opening the printer. And don’t forget masks and rubber gloves.
Does the temperature stability requirement mean it is difficult to print larger items that may take overnight?
If you put it into a temperature regulated environment, then no. If you have it standing unregulated where night will cause a large (±5~10°C) change in temperature, then yes.
Also, when printing for more than ~16 hours the resin might set, resulting in minor color changes, or bad prints if allowed to set for more than a day. So even if you intend to continue printing, you should clean the resin basin at least once every day.