My old interest was stimulated by a fellow 3D enthusiast to go do some MSLA (Masked Sterolithography) 3D resin prints. I have all the necessary equipment but have not been actively printing using the process for many months.
There is no question that almost every type of SLA printing produces the finest resolution and details in 3D prints for a hobbyist printer. The low cost of MSLA brings it into reach of the average hobbyist budget.
This post is not about the pros and cons of the process. I like MSLA because of the superior details it can reproduce without the layering lines of FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) filament printing.
I can endure the efforts and materials required for MSLA printing because I truly enjoy the results. Usually very high quality.
That does not imply that every print is perfect without effort. Also not every design is a good candidate for MSLA printing.
Shown in this post is a very small razor blade storage box and a small vase. Both of which are my designs and have previously been printed using FDM and now using MSLA.
The red vase is extruded PLA+ and the green is photo-resin. The green was also scaled 95% so it wold fit on the Anycubic Photon Mono SE printer shown in other pictures. Stand way back and they both look good, but look close, there is a big difference.
I am now stimulated to do a few more MSLA prints. I have plenty of resin and I have the time. There is no excuse. I don’t need one. I just love the high quality results.
Printer size limits the range of prints I can do. Not yet in the market for a larger printer. If I get bitten harder by MSLA and need to create larger or higher quantity of items, then that will justify a larger system. The reality is the larger printers are not a good choice for small “onesies” prints. Printer size should be chosen for the item print size or number of multiple prints desired.
Printing ten items on one build plate takes the same amount of time as printing one item. Not less material but huge time advantage. The full build plate area is exposed (printed) at one time in a few seconds.
This may be the start for me doing more resin prints. I’ll go where the results take me. It depends on what I can design and if other folks like what they see with resin based printed items.
Many options to explore and enjoy.
