This text discusses how the hardness, brittleness, and transparency of resin impact 3D printing results, including aspects like model structure, surface quality, durability, and more
I. Impact of Resin Hardness on Printing Results
(1) In terms of model structure integrity
During the 3D printing process, the hardness of the resin plays a crucial role. Resin with higher hardness can better maintain the shape of the model. For example, when printing some models with complex structures, fine components, or thin – walled structures, higher hardness can prevent deformation caused by its own weight or external forces (such as inter – layer stress during the printing process). In the case of printing high – strength industrial molds, if the resin hardness is insufficient, when printing fine internal structures, it is very easy to collapse or deform, resulting in the final mold being unable to be used normally. Moreover, high – hardness resin can better withstand its own weight and stress when printing models with fewer support structures or overhanging structures, reducing the possibility of structural collapse and thus improving the integrity of the model structure. For instance, when printing an architectural model with a large – span \”bridge\” structure, it is difficult to successfully print this structure part if the resin hardness is low, while high – hardness resin can achieve it well, ensuring the accuracy of the model structure.
(2) In terms of surface quality
Hardness also affects the surface quality of the printed part. Usually, high – hardness resin has a smoother surface after molding. Due to its strong ability to resist external influences, each layer of resin is less likely to be interfered with by subsequent operations or environmental factors after curing during the printing process. In contrast, low – hardness resin may have ripple – like patterns or local depressions on the surface due to slight external force interference (such as vibration of the printing platform, air flow, etc.) during the printing process, affecting the surface flatness. For example, when printing some ornaments with extremely high appearance requirements, such as jewelry models, high – hardness resin can present a brighter and smoother surface, while models printed with low – hardness resin may require more post – processing to achieve the same effect.
(3) In terms of durability
The hardness of the printed finished product is also directly related to its durability. Printed parts made of high – hardness resin are more wear – resistant and pressure – resistant. If printing some parts that need to be frequently contacted or bear external forces, such as mechanical parts or product casings for daily use, higher hardness means that the part can better maintain its shape and function during use and is not easily scratched or damaged. On the contrary, parts printed with low – hardness resin are prone to scratches, abrasion marks, and deformation when encountering the same external forces, thus affecting their service life. For example, when printing a mobile phone case, the shape of the high – hardness resin case will last longer, while the low – hardness resin case is prone to wear and deformation during daily use.
II. Impact of Resin Brittleness on Printing Results
(1) Model integrity and risk of breakage
The brittleness of the resin significantly affects the final integrity of the printed model. Resin with high brittleness is very likely to cause damage to the model during the printing process, especially when removing the support structure. In 3D printing, to ensure the successful printing of models with complex shapes or overhanging parts, support structures are often added. When removing these supports later, if the resin is highly brittle, some parts of the model may be broken off or cracked. For example, when printing a figurine model with fine finger structures, due to its complex internal structure and the need for more support structures, using high – brittleness resin for printing can easily cause the fingers to break when removing the supports at the finger parts.
Moreover, after printing, models made of highly brittle resin are also more likely to be damaged due to slight collisions or vibrations during handling, installation, or use. For example, when printing some small ornaments or摆件, if the resin is highly brittle and experiences some minor bumps during transportation, it may be found that some parts are damaged upon arrival at the destination.
(2) Limitation on design shapes
High – brittleness resin imposes more limitations on the printed design shapes. Since these resins are more likely to break under stress, it is difficult to print some new – style and complex – structured models. For example, if trying to print some innovative designs with thin – shell or hollow structures that need to bear a certain amount of pressure or stress, high – brittleness resin may not meet the requirements. In contrast, low – brittleness resin can adapt to more such innovative designs because they can withstand a certain degree of stretching and extrusion during the printing process without breaking immediately. Take some architectural art models with unique mechanical structures and curved shapes as an example. Using low – brittleness resin can better realize the designer’s creativity, while high – brittleness resin may make this process full of challenges and even lead to the failure of model printing.
(3) Difficulty of post – processing
Brittleness also affects the difficulty of post – processing after printing. If the resin is highly brittle, more caution is needed when performing post – processing operations such as sanding and drilling, otherwise, the model is easily damaged. For example, when drilling holes in printed high – brittleness resin parts to install screws, even applying a small amount of force may cause the parts to break. In contrast, low – brittleness resin allows for relatively rough post – processing operations to a certain extent, reducing the risk of damaging the model during the post – processing stage.
III. Impact of Resin Transparency on Printing Results
(1) In terms of visual effects
Transparency significantly affects the visual effects of 3D – printed parts. When printing models with decorative purposes or those that need to show the internal structure, high – transparency resin is an ideal choice. For example, in the field of jewelry design, high – transparency resin can accurately present the details and spatial structure of jewelry designs, making the printed jewelry models have the same transparency and texture as real jewelry. For some architectural models, when it comes to making transparent parts such as glass curtain walls, high – transparency resin can well simulate the real architectural effect, allowing observers to clearly see the internal layout of the building. On the contrary, if the resin has low transparency, the printed product will look cloudy in appearance and cannot meet specific visual requirements.
(2) In terms of simulating real materials and functions
For some special printing requirements, such as simulating transparent materials like glass and acrylic, transparency is very crucial. If the resin can achieve a transparency similar to that of real transparent materials, it can be used to manufacture parts that require optical properties, such as magnifying glasses and some simple optical lenses. Resin lacking sufficient transparency cannot achieve the above functions. Moreover, in the medical field, high – transparency resin can be used to print human organ models. The high transparency of this model is beneficial for doctors to clearly observe the internal structure and the relationship between organs through the model, thus facilitating better surgical pre – rehearsal or medical teaching.
(3) Differences in post – processing requirements
Resins with different transparencies also have differences in post – processing. High – transparency resin is often more sensitive to post – processing processes such as sanding and polishing. Improper processing will leave marks on the surface and affect the transparency. For example, when printing high – transparency handicrafts, excessive sanding may cause a fogging phenomenon, thereby reducing the transparency. For resins with relatively low transparency, post – processing may focus more on operations such as coloring to change the appearance, and the requirement for maintaining transparency is not as high.
IV. Comprehensive Impact of Resin Hardness, Brittleness, and Transparency on Printing Results
(1) Comprehensive consideration for different printing needs
In many actual 3D printing application scenarios, these three characteristics of the resin need to be comprehensively considered. For the printing of artworks that need to combine structural strength and aesthetics, relatively high hardness may be required to ensure structural stability, low brittleness to prevent damage during operation, and a certain degree of transparency to reflect the artistic texture. For example, when printing a 3D model of a crystal sculpture displayed in a glass cover, if the resin hardness is insufficient, the structure is prone to deformation; if the brittleness is high, it is easy to damage; and if the transparency cannot reach the effect of real crystal, it cannot well meet the printing requirements. Another example is printing lamp accessories, which require high transparency for better light penetration, sufficient hardness to ensure structural stability during installation and use, and low brittleness to avoid breakage during assembly or transportation.
(2) Mutually restrictive or synergistic relationships
There are mutually restrictive or synergistic relationships among hardness, brittleness, and transparency. On the one hand, some methods to increase hardness may increase the brittleness of the resin. For example, some additives can increase the hardness of the resin but may also make the material more fragile. In this case, it is necessary to weigh whether to prioritize ensuring hardness or reducing brittleness to meet the printing requirements. On the other hand, high transparency often needs to be based on a certain hardness and low brittleness to be better reflected. If the resin is too soft or brittle, even if it has high transparency, it is difficult to maintain integrity during the printing process and accurately display the transparent effect. For example, when printing a transparent mobile phone case, if the hardness is low and it is limp or the brittleness is extremely high and it is easy to crack, its transparent characteristic will lose its practical value. At the same time, appropriate hardness and low brittleness can also work together to ensure high transparency. For example, when printing some high – transparency surgical instrument models for medical use, appropriate hardness and low brittleness make the model easy to print successfully and the transparent structure will not be damaged when being touched during display and use.
(3) Joint impact on printing cost and efficiency
These three characteristics also jointly affect the printing cost and efficiency. If to achieve the ideal comprehensive effect of hardness, brittleness, and transparency, special or high – quality resin raw materials may need to be used, which will inevitably increase the material cost. Moreover, during the printing process, optimization operations (such as adjusting printing parameters, changing support structures, or increasing post – processing procedures) to balance these three characteristics will affect the printing efficiency. For example, if using a high – transparency but low – hardness and high – brittleness resin to print a product with a complex shape, it is necessary to carefully adjust parameters such as printing speed and temperature, add some support structures, and even perform careful post – processing after printing. All these will increase the time and labor cost of the printing process.
V. Comparison of Printing Results of Resins with Different Hardness
(1) Printing results of high – hardness resin
- Structural stability
- High – hardness resin shows excellent structural stability when printing large – scale or complex structures. Taking the printing of the shell model of a large – scale industrial equipment as an example, high – hardness resin can withstand its own weight and the inter – layer stress during the printing process, so as to accurately construct the required shape. It will not be like low – hardness resin, which may deform at the bottom due to its own weight or collapse at the cantilever structure part. This ensures that the printed equipment shell model can be accurately used for industrial design evaluation and subsequent development.
- When printing multi – layer structures, each layer can be accurately deposited and cured. Due to its high hardness, it is not easily interfered with by the outside world, thus maintaining stable inter – layer integration. For example, when printing multi – layer nested aerospace model components, which require extremely high structural accuracy, high – hardness resin can ensure the stability of each layer, making the overall structure meet the design specifications.
- Surface smoothness
- During the molding process, high – hardness resin can form a relatively smooth surface. Because the surface of high – hardness resin after curing has a stronger ability to resist external friction and interference. When printing some electronic product shell models with extremely high requirements for surface flatness, such as mobile phone and tablet computer shells, high – hardness resin can directly print models with a smooth surface without excessive post – processing, such as removing textures or defects, saving post – processing cost and time.
- In the printing of some art sculptures, high – hardness resin helps to create a smooth and textured appearance, which can well reflect the details and artistry of the sculpture.
- Durability
- Products printed with high – hardness resin have a high degree of durability. When simulating metal mechanical parts, these parts may be subject to wear, pressure, or impact in the use environment. Parts printed with high – hardness resin can withstand these external forces, avoiding scratches, deformation, or fracture. For example, in the model printing of some operating parts of a printer, high – hardness resin can ensure that these part models will not be damaged due to frequent friction and contact during the testing process, thereby improving the accuracy and practicality of model testing.
(2) Printing results of low – hardness resin
- Flexibility and elasticity performance
- Low – hardness resin has good flexibility and elasticity. It has unique advantages when printing some products that require a certain degree of deformation ability. For example, when printing a model similar to a shoe sole, low – hardness resin can simulate the soft elasticity of the shoe sole, allowing people to see the normal deformation and rebound of the shoe sole during the stress test (such as simulating the pressure test of walking), which is very important for the design and performance evaluation of the shoe sole.
- When printing some product models with elastic sealing structures, such as the model of a water pipe joint sealing ring, low – hardness resin can accurately reflect the expansion, contraction, and sealing performance of the sealing ring during installation and normal use, while high – hardness resin can hardly achieve this.
- Detail retention and adaptability
- Low – hardness resin often performs well when printing some small models with precise details. For example, in the printing of delicate handicrafts and small animal models, due to the relative softness of low – hardness resin, it is easier to fill into the small gaps and corners of the mold, thus better retaining the fine details of the model. Moreover, for some complex internal structures, low – hardness resin can adapt to their complex shapes, reducing the risk of structural damage caused by internal stress concentration due to high hardness.
- When printing some models with irregular shapes and internal cavity structures, low – hardness resin can better adapt to the shape changes, enabling the model to be printed completely. For example, when printing some biological organ models with internal pipeline structures, low – hardness resin can fill and form along with the bending and diameter changes of the pipeline.
- Post – processing characteristics
- Low – hardness resin is relatively easy to post – process. Due to its relatively soft texture, it is not easy to crack during post – processing operations such as cutting, sanding, and drilling. When printing some models that need to be assembled later and the parts need to be modified, such as wooden jigsaw puzzle toy models, using low – hardness resin for printing can facilitate the cutting and modification of parts to meet the assembly requirements.
- When coloring the printed parts, the surface of low – hardness resin can better absorb pigments, making the coloring effect more uniform. When printing some anime – related figurine models and other products that require exquisite coloring effects, this characteristic of low – hardness resin can make the coloring process smoother, resulting in a more vivid and realistic color effect.
VI. Comparison of Printing Results of Resins with Different Brittleness
(1) Printing results of high – brittleness resin
- Risk of structural perfection
- It is difficult to ensure the structural integrity of models printed with high – brittleness resin during the printing process. When printing multi – component assembly models, such as a robot model composed of multiple small parts, when using high – brittleness resin for printing, during the process of removing the support structure, each part is prone to break due to brittleness, thus destroying the integrity of the structure. Moreover, when printing complex lattice – structure models, due to the slenderness and interconnection of the lattice structure, high – brittleness resin is very likely to break the lattice bars during slight disturbances in the printing process or post – processing, resulting in the failure of the entire model.
- Extra care is needed when handling and storing high – brittleness resin models just printed. Even a slight collision or vibration may cause cracks or breakage of the model. Compared with models printed with low – brittleness resin, it is more difficult to ensure the integrity of the structure during these processes.
- Design limitations
- High – brittleness resin imposes great limitations on the creativity and complexity of printing designs. For some innovative structural designs, such as an innovative lamp design with a combination of thin – shell and hollow structures that need to bear a certain amount of stress during use, high – brittleness resin cannot effectively achieve it. Because the slight stress changes during the printing process and the external forces borne during use after printing may exceed the bearing capacity of high – brittleness resin, leading to structural damage.
- In the printing of some biological – structure – imitating models, such as a coral model with fine branches and thin – walled structures, high – brittleness resin has difficulty accurately printing these delicate and fragile structures because these structures may not be fully formed due to the brittleness of the resin during printing or may be easily damaged during subsequent operations.
- Post – processing challenges
- The post – processing work of high – brittleness resin is extremely challenging. When performing drilling operations to install accessories, such as drilling holes in the lid of a printed high – brittleness resin model box to install a lock, even a very small drilling pressure may cause the model to crack. When performing sanding operations to improve surface roughness, improper operation will cause damage at the edges or local parts of the model. For products that require complex post – processing operations, such as novelty handicraft models that need to undergo specific processes such as carving, cutting, and splicing, high – brittleness resin can hardly meet the requirements.
(2) Printing results of low – brittleness resin
- Ensurance of structural integrity
- Low – brittleness resin is beneficial for ensuring the structural integrity of models during the printing process. From the perspective of printing a single large – scale structural component, for example, when printing a large – scale artistic statue, low – brittleness resin can withstand internal stress and external interference during the entire printing process without cracking or damage. When printing some architectural models with interconnected and internally – hollow structures, low – brittleness resin can ensure the stability of each connection part and maintain the structural integrity after removing the support structure without accidental breakage.
- When printing models for long – term use or those that need to be frequently operated and contacted, such as a comb model in daily – use items, low – brittleness resin can withstand the external forces during continuous handling and use, and is not prone to breakage, ensuring the structural stability of the model during long – term use.
- Support for design innovation
- Low – brittleness resin provides a broader space for design innovation. When designers print new – concept products, such as a future – concept vehicle model with a strange internal hollow multi – layer structure that needs a certain amount of pressure – resistance during use, low – brittleness resin can adapt to this complex structural design and mechanical requirements. When simulating some natural object models with fragile but interconnected structures, such as a grapevine structure model, low – brittleness resin can better realize these structures that require high flexibility and fracture resistance.
- When 3D – printing some models that need to be integrated with other materials or components, such as a wearable device model integrated with electronic components, low – brittleness resin can withstand the operating pressure during the assembly process without damage, thus supporting more types and complex design integration methods.
- Convenience of post – processing
- Low – brittleness resin has greater convenience in post – processing. When performing basic post – processing operations such as cutting, drilling, and sanding on the printed finished products, low – brittleness resin is not easy to be damaged. For example, when drilling holes in a small household ornament model made of low – brittleness resin to install a hook, the operation can be completed relatively easily without worrying about model damage. When performing surface treatment operations such as polishing and coating, more conventional methods can also be used without excessive concern about damaging the structural integrity of the model due to the operation.