FDM Printing with Resin Update
[Proper Printing] It’s all back to square one. He’s trying to perfect his hybrid printer that works like an FDM printer but uses UV-curable resin gel instead of filament. Below is the most recent update video. You can catch up on our earlier videos to learn more about his early efforts.
The latest update features a new light source and a modified nozzle. The light source and nozzle improvements are based on conical lenses, which convert laser beams into a ring. The initial nozzles looked like the business end of a syringe, but this wasn’t very stable. This new video shows another nozzle that had its problems. The custom-made nozzle was created to solve all issues with both the standard nozzle and the tips for syringes.
It is crucial to know the resin formula. To give thickness, the second attempt used resin mixed with glass beads. That wasn’t without problems, though, so it was switched this time with fused silica, as suggested by some comments on a previous video. They used air removal and aggressive mixing. While the original resins were a paste consistency, the new mixture looks more like a gel.
Things began to go wrong. Numerous equipment failures followed. He was so frustrated that he wanted to quit and was just about to finish editing the video when he experienced an epiphany. We’re glad he didn’t give up because the new results are pretty impressive.
These printers remind of a bizarre laser CNC. It reminds us of resin curing outside of the normal printing process.
