This article explores the relationship between 3D printer resolution and printing materials, covering factors affecting resolution, material characteristics, resolution requirements, high-resolution materials, and low-resolution adaptability.
Factors affecting the resolution of 3D printers
The resolution of a 3D printer is usually referred to as layer height, which refers to the size of each layer applied to a 3D printed model. Multiple factors can affect the resolution of a 3D printer.
(I) Printing materials
The material used for 3D printing is an important factor affecting resolution.
In the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printing process, the printing material usually uses wires with a diameter of 1.75mm or 3mm. The printing resolution depends on the diameter of the wire, and materials with a constant diameter will produce accurate printing resolution or layer height. For example, the amount of consumables extruded from wires with different diameters during the printing process is different. If the diameter is uneven or not compatible with the printer, high-precision resolution cannot be achieved.
During the printing process of LCD (liquid crystal display) and DLP (digital light processing), the printing material also has a significant impact on resolution. In LCD printing, the transparency and curing characteristics of the material are crucial. Materials with high transparency, fast curing speed, and low contraction rate help achieve higher resolution because it allows light to penetrate and cure the material more accurately, forming finer layer thickness, reducing interlayer defects, and thus improving resolution. For example, high-quality photosensitive resin can better present details in LCD printing.
Different materials have different physical and chemical properties, which also affect the resolution of printing. For example, the fluidity and viscosity of materials. If the material is too viscous, it cannot be smoothly formed when extruded at the nozzle, resulting in inaccurate connection between each layer, thereby affecting resolution. If the material has too strong fluidity, it may excessively diffuse during deposition and cannot achieve high-precision printing.
(II) Nozzle diameter
This is the mechanical factor that affects the printing resolution. There are various nozzle diameters used for different printing applications, with diameters usually between 0.1mm and 1mm. Smaller nozzle diameters can extrude finer consumable filaments, which can achieve finer details during the printing process, that is, higher resolution. However, small nozzle diameters also have some problems, such as easy clogging and relatively slow printing speed. On the contrary, although larger nozzle diameters can improve printing speed, the printed products have lower resolution and are more suitable for fast model printing projects that do not require high accuracy.
(III) 3D printer
This factor is the core element that determines printing resolution. The steps on the z-axis of a 3D printer can achieve printing resolution or layer height. Industrial-grade FDM 3D printers can easily 3D print parts with very fine layer height, while commercial printers are more difficult to achieve. This depends on the accuracy of the printer’s motor, the accuracy of the wire rod and guide rail, and the accuracy of the control system. If the printer’s movement accuracy in the z-axis direction is not enough, the layer height cannot be accurately controlled, which will affect the resolution. Furthermore, the stability of the printer structure is also very important. If the printer is prone to vibration or deviation during the printing process, it will directly lead to a decrease in the accuracy of the printed model and affect the accuracy of the resolution.
(IV) Other influencing factors
In addition to the main factors mentioned above, printing speed and printing temperature also affect resolution. If the printing speed is too fast, it may cause the material to start printing the next layer without sufficient extrusion and shaping, resulting in uneven height of each layer and affecting resolution. Improper printing temperature can also cause changes in material viscosity and fluidity, leading to a decrease in printing accuracy. In addition, the complexity of the 3D model itself also affects the selection of resolution. For more complex and detail-demanding 3D models, such as small figurines, figures, and other cosmetic display products, very high resolution or very small layer height is required. For some rough models or rapid prototyping models used as manufacturing prototypes, low resolution or high layer height can be used to improve printing efficiency.
Common characteristics of 3D printing materials
(I) Metal materials
- Good mechanical properties : Metal materials usually have high strength, good toughness and lightweight characteristics. For example, titanium alloy has excellent strength and lightweight characteristics, and is widely used in aerospace, medical apparatus and other fields with extremely high material performance requirements. Aluminum alloy is also a lightweight, high-strength metal material with good thermal and electrical conductivity, suitable for the manufacture of parts in aerospace, automobile manufacturing and other fields.
- Complex internal structure manufacturing capability : Using metal 3D printing technology, such as selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM), etc., complex internal structures can be manufactured. This ability gives metal materials a unique advantage in manufacturing parts with specific functional requirements, such as manufacturing parts with efficient heat dissipation structures or internal special fluid channels.
- Fine surface quality : Through specific 3D printing technology, metal materials can be printed to have a relatively fine surface quality, reducing the subsequent processing and workload.
(II) Rubber materials
- Elasticity and flexibility : Rubber materials are characterized by good elasticity and flexibility. This property makes them suitable for making seals, shock absorbers, and other applications that require bending or compression, and can withstand significant deformation during operation without breaking or losing function.
- Manufacturing of complex shapes : 3D printed rubber materials are usually achieved through materials such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). These materials can form complex shapes and elastic structures during the printing process, which can meet the manufacturing of products with special shape requirements and elastic functional requirements, such as flexible pipe joints or complex shaped parts with cushioning functions.
(III) Engineering plastics
- Good mechanical properties and chemical stability Engineering plastics such as ABS, nylon, and PC have good mechanical properties and chemical stability. ABS plastic is the most commonly used FDM printing material, available in a variety of colors, and can be used to make many creative home decorations or toys similar to Lego. Nylon is a plastic material with high strength, wear resistance, and good chemical resistance, suitable for making mechanical parts, tools, and wear-resistant parts; PC (polycarbonate) has high impact resistance and transparency, and is commonly used to make durable parts, transparent models, and glasses.
- Suitable for functional component manufacturing : Suitable for the manufacture of various functional parts, and when 3D printing through technology implementation such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), the parts made have high precision and strength, and are widely used in prototype production and small batch production.
(IV) Photosensitive resin
- Photocurable properties : Photosensitive resin is a material that solidifies under light irradiation and is commonly used in 3D printing technologies such as stereoscopic light curing (SLA) and digital light processing (DLP). This photocurable property enables it to quickly transform from liquid to solid in specific lighting environments, achieving fine printing results, especially when printing models with complex shapes and rich details.
- Relatively low robustness and durability : However, compared with metals and engineering plastics, photosensitive resins are usually not strong and durable enough, and are easily scratched or damaged when subjected to large external forces. Therefore, photosensitive resin printed products are more suitable for some parts that are used for displaying appearance models or temporary use, such as some conceptual models, art displays, etc.
(V) Ceramic materials
- Excellent high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance and electrical insulation properties : Ceramic materials have these excellent properties, which make them applicable in some scenarios that have strict requirements for these properties. For example, ceramic components have unique advantages in components that work in some high temperature environments or electronic products that require high corrosion resistance and insulation.
- The ability to manufacture complex shapes : In 3D printing, ceramic materials can be made into complex-shaped parts through technologies such as adhesive spraying or powder bed fusion to meet some special design needs, such as personalized ceramic artworks or special-shaped ceramic structural parts.
Requirements for resolution of different printing materials
(I) Metal material resolution requirements
Metal materials are often used to manufacture functional products. For metal parts with high precision and high quality requirements, high resolution is often required to ensure their dimensional accuracy and precise molding of complex structures. In the aerospace field, for example, some small parts of engines require extremely high resolution to ensure that every detail meets the design requirements. Fine 3D printing technology, such as SLM technology, is usually used to make the printing resolution accurate to tens of microns or even higher levels. This is because the precision of these components is directly related to the performance and safety of aerospace equipment. For some metal parts with relatively low precision requirements, such as some simple mechanical structural parts, the resolution can be appropriately reduced without affecting their basic functions to improve the speed of 3D printing and reduce costs.
(II) the resolution requirements of rubber materials
Due to the fact that rubber materials are mainly used to make seals, shock absorbers, and other products that do not require very precise shape accuracy, relatively low resolution can be used when 3D printing rubber materials. For seals, their main function is to ensure sealing, and the accuracy requirements for shape are not as high as some precision mechanical parts. However, if some rubber products with special designs or specific functions need to be met in microstructure, such as micro shock absorbers, higher resolution may be required to achieve their precise internal structure and shape design.
(III) Engineering plastics resolution requirements
Engineering plastics have significant differences in resolution requirements in different application scenarios. For ABS plastic models or toys that focus on appearance display, such as exquisite ABS plastic crafts, higher resolution may be required to present rich details. However, for some prototype parts of nylon or PC engineering plastics used for internal structure and functional testing, low resolution can be used for rapid printing while meeting basic structural and functional requirements. For example, when testing the internal nylon gear structure of a new type of machinery, as long as its basic size, shape, and transmission functions can be achieved, lower resolution printing can meet the requirements, but if it is to make a beautiful appearance that needs to be displayed to customers.
(IV) resolution requirements of photosensitive resin
Photosensitive resin is commonly used for 3D printing tasks that require high surface accuracy and complex shapes, so generally high resolution is required. For example, when making some artistic sculpture models or biological models, photosensitive resin can achieve high resolution printing by using its light-curing properties. It can capture the tiny details of the model, such as the shape of the cell structure presented in the biological model, and the fine texture in the artistic model. However, due to the relatively fragile physical properties of photosensitive resin itself, if the layer thickness is too low (i.e. the resolution is too high) during printing, it may increase the risk of cracking and other issues. Therefore, the resolution should also be reasonably selected according to the specific size and structural characteristics of the model.
(V) resolution requirements for ceramic materials
For ceramic materials, if it is to produce some ceramic artworks, such as exquisite porcelain bottles, porcelain carvings, etc., due to the need to reflect artistic value, high requirements for details and appearance are usually required, and high resolution is usually required to ensure the presentation of fine surface patterns and patterns. For some ceramic industrial components, such as simple ceramic insulators, if the requirements for surface smoothness and appearance fineness are not very high, a lower resolution can be appropriately used.
Printing materials for high resolution
(I) Photosensitive resin
- High-precision molding principle : The characteristic of photosensitive resin curing rapidly under light irradiation enables it to be accurately formed according to preset shapes and structures. Under high-resolution printing requirements, ultraviolet light or other specific light sources can cure liquid photosensitive resin according to very fine patterns, thereby producing models with small features and high detail. For example, when making biomedical models, tiny vascular structures or cell models can be printed, all of which rely on the high-precision molding ability of photosensitive resin.
- Excellent surface finish : Models printed with photosensitive resin usually have a relatively smooth surface, which can better reflect the fine requirements for the appearance of the model under high resolution. It can well reproduce the details in the design, such as in the 3D printing model production of jewelry design, delicate patterns and delicate curves can be printed, making the display effect of jewelry models more realistic.
(II) Some engineering plastics
- ABS Plastic : With careful adjustment of printing parameters, ABS plastic can achieve relatively high resolution printing. For example, when printing some small creative home decorations or exquisite toy models that need to show details, ABS plastic can print parts with high definition and fine structure under the appropriate parameters such as temperature, speed, and nozzle diameter. ABS material has a variety of colors and can meet the printing of high-resolution models with different color requirements.
- PC material : Due to its high transparency and good mechanical properties, when printing some models with high accuracy requirements and transparent effects, such as magnifying glass or some transparent mechanical shells, PC material can complete the printing task well under high resolution settings. At the same time, the model printed with PC material also has good strength and can adapt to certain usage requirements.
(III) Ceramic materials (under specific technologies)
In some cases where advanced 3D printing technology is used, ceramic materials can also be suitable for high-resolution printing. For example, XJet’s NanoParticleJetting technology uses nanoscale ceramic particles to achieve feature sizes less than 10 microns. This high-resolution ceramic printing technology can be used to ensure the accuracy and high-quality appearance of ceramic components when producing high-precision ceramic aerospace components or high-quality ceramic art works.
Adaptability of low resolution to printing materials
(I) Rubber materials
- Shape adaptability : Rubber materials are often used in products with elastic requirements, such as shock absorbers, seals, etc. In the manufacture of these products, the shape does not need to be particularly accurate. Even when printing at low resolution, due to the good flexibility of the rubber material itself, it can still meet the functional requirements of the product. For example, a simple rubber sealing gasket, even if the printed shape has some small errors in accuracy, the elasticity of the rubber can still make it play a sealing function during installation and use, so low resolution printing is often sufficient to meet the requirements.
- Rapid prototyping and cost-effectiveness : The speed of low-resolution printing of rubber materials is usually relatively fast, which is cost-effective in producing some rubber products. For some rubber products that require high production efficiency and mass production, such as some common automotive shock-absorbing rubber blocks, if low-resolution printing is used, it can improve production efficiency and reduce printing costs without affecting its main function, thereby improving the economy of production and the market competitiveness of the product.
(II) Some engineering plastics (for functional prototypes)
- Functional testing purpose : Engineering plastics such as nylon, etc., in the production of functional prototypes, sometimes low resolution can meet the requirements. For example, when making a prototype of nylon transmission components in a new type of mechanical structure, the main purpose is to test the feasibility of its transmission structure, power transmission effect and other functions. In this case, there is no need for too high resolution. Although the parts printed with low resolution may not be fine enough in appearance, they can meet the basic functional testing requirements.
- Low-cost and fast iteration : Using low-resolution printing of functional prototypes of engineering plastics can also reduce printing costs and iterate quickly. During the product development stage, engineers may need to frequently modify the design scheme and print new prototypes for testing. If low-resolution printing is used, multiple different versions of prototypes can be printed at a lower cost in a short period of time, accelerating the product development cycle and improving R & D efficiency.
