How to smooth 3D prints with UV Resin (Step by step!)
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- Опубліковано 8 сер 2020
- A longish video, but I was requested to cover all the steps. :)
Safety first! UV resin is a dangerous material and gives off fumes, and should not be in contact with skin etc. Wear Nitrile gloves, safety glasses and use a respirator in a well ventilated space.
Kids: ask for an adults help and don't even attempt this technique or follow the video if you don't know what you are doing. I am not responsible for any accidents or injuries if you try this!
Links to supplies:
Elegoo blue resin
www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07Z...
50W LED UV light
www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07K...
this is probably the best pla finishing technique out there! especially for small prints
Love the comparisons between your techniques. Thank you!
Excellent video , thanks and a really great way to smooth a pla print! I already have all the materials /parts to hand just never thought of putting them into this use! thanks again for opening my eyes to this technique....
I have done this and mixed talcum powder with the resin to make it more like a filler it worked really well
This is amazing and I bought all the stuff to try it out. I am so blown away by this! I did 3 coats and wet sanded with 400 grit and it was 100% smooth! looked professionally made with how smooth it was. Thank you!
Glad it helped! :)
I use UV resin all the time, but never thought of trying it to smooth a print... Some resins harden more than others, thank you for the informational video!
Thank you! I've used this technique before and find the small corners of prints to be tedious to sand after resin has cured in the corners. I find using metal clay shaping tools to scrape the corners back into shape pretty useful.
cheaper option that resin prints for sure, thank you for showing this method.
You are an absolute genius! I had finished printing a Sub Zero mask using an FDM printer and PETG filament and was trying to figure out best post process for this. I stumbled across this in an Elegoo Mars group and gave this a try, it smoothed out my Sub Zero Mask (which is now drying from paint added in). Thank you for this!
That’s probably me that posted it there :) glad you like it, hope it yields good results for you!
Does it stick to PETG well?
Oooo this is genius, it never occurred to us to try this. Been using XTC for years and never really liked the stuff. Definitely going to be trying this! One thing that occurred to me for the bubbles is to use heat to pop them, it's something we do to resin all the time with a small blow torch.
Tip Top Workshop Thanks glad you like it! Yes, someone mentioned that trick to me as well. I’ll give it a try! :)
@@pandapropsncostumes have you seen the 3d rubber printer?
Very helpful video! I've been printing stuff for a few years now, and this is the first time I've tried resin smoothing, on a project. I'm making skele hand jewelry, and it went great!
(Also your voice is really nice :3 )
I'm glad the tips were helpful!
Should I consider a career doing audiobooks? :)
I have not brushed a whole 3d print with resin but i have used a Q tip to fill imperfections after sanding before i primed the print and it fills the issues fantastic and its easy to sand too.
Use a wine bottle vacuum sealer to remove air from your resin before applying it and use a brush with finer hair. Your results will be much better.
do you have any video of that, please?
I added 4ml of thinner and the same part of alcohol in the resin, put it in a shaker for 5 minutes and used it in a paintbrush, and it worked very well!
Try a foam brush to reduce pooling and air bubbles. Bristle brushes trap air between the bristles and it harder to control the amount of liquid it releases.
You are a god ! Thankyou ! Finally !
this is great. thank you so much
I'm excited to try this out. I am going to look into the airbrush option. thanks for the video
Did you ever airbrush the 3d resin onto fdm?
@@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles I have not tried it yet. Planning to print a helmet to try it on.
@@jeremylee7761 thoight about airbrushing this before seeing this vid let me know your results.
@@ZerocoolsPropsandCollectibles fyi. Uv resin cures with uv light (sun also produces this. Uv (a,b,c)) so you will not be able to do this outside. Disclaimer resin will cause chemical burns on flesh and ruin clothes. Aerosoling it sounds like a quick way to unsubcribe from life. You'd need a contamination suit, respirator, large workshop and large air filtration with lots of pull. It'd have to be done inside away from the sunlight.
@@musicmanReborn yes I know more about resin than I did 1 year ago. Lol
One could also preheat the resin bottle in a tub of warm water to get the bubbles out quickly after application on the model.
Nice! I think I'm going to try this on my mando armor.
ha I just watched this and thought the same thing. I need that shine on my mando armor!
well, thanks for this informative video, i tried xtc but its too fast hardened, so i will try uv resin insted.
Very good video! I will use this on my life size Iron man 😁 but i sanding the head. I have some issue on it. That will work for smooth my print with UV resin ?
Thank you!!
Oxygen inhibits resin polymerisation (curing) meaning the outer surface won’t cure in air. Once you’ve done your initial cure, put a glass container full of water in the curing station and cure it in the water. This limits the oxygen on the outer surface so you won’t need to wash it in alcohol afterwards. It cures faster in water too.
I've found using compressed air to dry IPA after washing prints always leaves spots on them and they cure inconstantly. I just let them sit out for a while now and use air after as a last check. Just sharing what works for me :)
Use a lighter to pop the tiny bubbles, just pass the flame very quickly near it or use a heat gun very quickly on low setting
I wonder if you used a flexible resin like siraya tenacious if it would give more strength.
This is amazing,exactly what I was looking for. Could you maybe answer if rather than using primer you could go straight to a gloss? I'm primarily looking to make silicone molds with matte and gloss areas for detailing epoxy resin. Once you alchohol sprayed the piece some of that initial shine left it.
Thank you 😊
It’s always good to use primer before paint. If you want a thinner primer use Duplicolor grey sandable primer. Then top coat it with matte or gloss before you mold.
Don’t be deceived by the shine because the resin is still “wet”.
wow, I need to test this out. I imagine it will also remove that FDM feel your print has. I'm currently printing a large scale figurine on my Ender 5 (too big for my resin printers) and will be trying this out on it. I do have some cheap resin I bought on Amazon Prime day that didn't really work well in my Anycubic Photon, so I will see if this could save it from the trash can.
Yes give it a try. I would do it on a small junk print first. The key is a good brush and smooth coats. Yes it obscures much of the print lines on my prints. I print on Creality and Prusa machines and most of e time at 0.2 resolution
I'm definitely going to try this! It looks better than XTC
It’s way better than XTC. I’ve tried XTC several times and this is way better because you can control the cure
Lol a Canadian using syrup as a benchmark for viscosity 😂😂 I love it
This is the way :)
Please do a video on airbrushing the resin! I'm really interested in trying to smooth prints that have small details that other methods like putty, filler primer, or sanding would ruin.
Oh wow good idea, but also terrifying. The UV resin is very toxic, and making it into a spray scares me. Can't do it outside either due to the sun's UV rays, so unless you have a good workshop and probably a whole body protection suit.... It's risky.
As a PhD in chemistry I second what Adam said. You should really avoid trying that :/
@@YBM22 Ah, i have some questions about using UV resin for hobby printing, Youssef, it's not been an easy subject to google :/
If you use proper ventilation and use something like the Anycubic printers, is it safe to print in your appartment, or does the room that you print in become... tainted by resin or other toxic chemicals? Could you for example get hurt if you print in your office, and spend time there without protective gear when not printing?
@@YBM22 When looking around online you can see all sorts of behavior, from people dipping their fingers into it to people treating it as if it was radioactive. I use a respirator with a face shield, nylon gloves, an apron and silicon mats, but i still worry that the vapors from the printing settle in the room and make the whole area a potential health risk.
A much simpler and more cost effective method is to prime with high build primer and then spray the top coat with automotive 2k gloss clear. One or 2 medium coats is all it takes and will yield excellent results in most cases.
Huh. I hadn't thought of that as an option.
Certainly a quicker way to smooth out prints than hours of sanding, and since I already resin print I have it to hand as opposed to shelling out for the likes of XTC.
I'll have to give it a try, thanks!
Yes it’s a good trick for certain prints. I like to use the remainder of bottles. Turn them upside down and there’s always a cap or two of leftover resin to use :)
@@pandapropsncostumes Can't you just pour unused resin back into the bottle too?
Brilliant
Another thing I noticed is when I went to put on a second coat the temperature in the garage was quite a bit cooler and the cured (curing box with UV light strip all around) it came up, for lack of a better term, lumpier and not as smooth as the first coat when it was warmer.
Yes, UV resin is temperature sensitive, so try to do it in room temp or warmer if possible for the best results :)
@@pandapropsncostumes I figured as much. Thank you.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing :) You can put the model on the washing machine to get rid of bubbles.
I just blast the wet surface with a small butane torch. It pops all the bubbles :)
@@pandapropsncostumes Cool.
Thank you for your video.. so useful.. I've got a question... is this resin toxic?
Do you think this approach takes as long as just applying primer and sanding? I know there are many ways to finish anything but I'm curious what you think since I'm sure you've done that already as well.
I use whatever method is appropriate to the object. For smooth flat surfaces like Iron Man type armor, I would just sand and use filler primer. It’s technically takes longer as you have to wait for the paint to cure at every layer and then repeat the sanding and priming, where as the UV resin reduces the amount of time and takes only two applications (at most) and filler primer at the end.
I wouldn’t use resin on large smooth surfaces due to cost and the potential for brush strokes and uneven applications. But it works great on more detailed or organic type shapes. Think Alien creature with ribs and bones and tentacles etc.
So I just choose what works for whatever subject matter I am working on. Hope that helps!
It would probably work better to use thin Layers
Nice video. Thank you for documenting this process. I wonder if hitting it with a heat gun would help pop bubbles? Parts look great and definitely saves time. Mahalo for sharing! : )
You're welcome!
Yes it would, btw. Just a light pass on low/medium heat
You can also make the resin thinner by heating it. SiraiyaTech Blu for example tends to be thicker stuff and needs additional heat for thinning.
Great tip!
I've tried this several times with different resins over the past year, but I keep finding that the surface gets marred by subtle drip-lines that aren't visible until after a coat of primer. Sometimes there's also small pools or tidemarks in deep recesses where details meet. Any advice?
I've had better results with vapor smoothing ASA so that's still my go-to when I need smooth FDM prints.
You're laying it on WAY too thick. Dip the brush in the resin and wipe the bristles on the end of the cup, so that you remove most of the resin. Brush it on in a THIN layer. Cure. Then do a second coat.
For small rececess, use a small tipped brush and apply sparingly.
For panel lines or fine details, clean them out with a toothpick before curing.
Hope that helps!
@@pandapropsncostumes I'll try going a bit thinner again next time. With very thin coats I initially had an issue where the resin wouldn't cure (oxygen inhibition).
Has anyone checked if this method makes PLA prints suitable for outdoor use?
Great video and technique, thank you for sharing!
Do you find that this method allows for a harder finish on PLA prints?
Thanks again!
It provides a little bit of a “shell” toughness but it doesn’t really improve structural integrity like multiples times over. It can help prevent layer separation as it coats the surface but it doesn’t melt or bind layers together like solvent would
@@pandapropsncostumes Thanks for the reply!
Have you, by chance, tried the airbrush method yet?
Would you recommend this method for a full Mando helmet? Maybe airbrush the resin on? Also, I don't have a curing station. Would painting it on, then setting it out in the sun work? I'm printing with PLA+...
I actually wouldn’t recommend that. On smooth even surfaces like a helmet, it may be hard to apply the resin evenly without creating brush strokes and waves. Also, the resin will fill details, so areas like the mowhawk strip and fine panel lines will get filled. I haven’t tried spraying resin yet so I can’t confirm that works. Plus any particles in the air would be dangerous as they would solidify once exposed so a proper capture and filtration system would be required. I would suggest good old glazing putty and high build filler primer for the helmet. Hope that helps!
The airbrush would be garbage after that, toxic garbage actually
Oh my gosh. So glad I found this video. I was wondering why it was always so tacky. Duh. Clean it with IPA! Problem instantly solved.
Also. Subscribed now!
Thanks for subscribing! Yes, you need to clean the residue off after curing. :)
Does it stick to PETG as well as PLA?
Do you think painting a few layers of uv resin on pla filament then painting would help it hold up being outside? I plan on making stuff for my car to see how it turns out
No, the heat will eventually warp PLA. The resin wont protect it
How do you handle dust specks? I'm working on a Book of Boba Fett helmet and was doing the first coat of resin (and I noticed them in the close ups in this video) is dust specks (probably inevitable unless in a clean room). For the helmet they sand off easily but what about the back helmet detail you did?
I still sand it. I just glue sand paper to popsicle sticks cut at an angle, or use nail files. Brushing fewer and thinner coats helps too
@@pandapropsncostumes Perfect.
thanks bro!!! im building an iron man suit and i will be resin painting it all now lol
Using a airbrush to do this works really well. You do have to thin the resin a little to get it to flow nicely
Don't do this; you'll be creating fine mist of resin around you that can possibly get on your eyeball... Most people don't have the proper ventilation or filtration to do such things, nor the body suits that are normally used for resin spraying. I'm guessing you came from the video by The Creative Collector; very dangerous what he is proposing.
@@DrazCreates No I didn't. I've been doing resin sparying for a while now and wear all the protective gear.
What respirator and cartridge are you using?
I use several 3M respirators. For resin and molding and casting, I use 3M 6001 cartridges. These were recommended by Smooth-ON for their products. Hope that helps!
can we make silicon mold out of it?
Would water washable resin work?
I be careful using resin over ABS. Makes ABS more brittle. Try dipping lego ABS into resin and let it set in the sun. It weakens/become brittle. I discovered this buy accident when the resin spilled over my technic gears nearby and they shattered when I used the gears in a technic project.
I'm curious how well this would work with dnd models?
May you download the free sample from hero forge and try this method?
It’s similar to any coating method. If the FDM printed figure is too small, you may accidentally apply too much and end up obscuring details and rounding sharp edges that you may want to retain. so try brushing on a very light coat as a test first
Have you tried Solaris yet?
Would this improve the print's heat resistance at all?
I'm curious about this too
I recently saw a video of someone using a craft jewelry making UV resin for smoothing, and when I looked it up on amazon, it claims to be non-toxic. So it makes me wonder if it's a better alternative, because it wouldn't require all the same precautions of UV printing resin. Let me know what you think, if you've ever tried anything like this?
Be a good idea to hit it with an empty airbrush before curing instead of pushing the resin through the gun.
So I have been using fine finish not working as well as I would like would you recommend this over that and do you have to have the uv light for ot to cure or can you use the sun
survivor performance I have tried Fine Finish too. I found it required at least 2 coats and it worked well but I had to deal with brush strokes showing up even though I I used high quality artists brushes. It also took longer to dry than UV resin. And yes, you can use the sun as well, it works fine for this technique! :)
Thank you and what is the resin you are using brand etc
survivor performance it’s Elegoo brand
@@pandapropsncostumes so elegoo resin?
survivor performance yes
Can you hit it with a hair drier for a few seconds to pop all the bubbles?
Yes, you can
Can you tell me the name of the curing station you are using and do you still like it after 6 months?
I actually built it. You can see how I did it and the light I used in this video. Yes, it still works great and is fast at curing :)
ua-cam.com/video/FnknQKLp1wc/v-deo.html
Real nice thanks for the quick reply
Do you think this will work well for printed 1/6 scale hot toys like figures/statues?
Do you mean if you are FDM printing them? Yes it’s possible but heads at that scale may lose some sharpness or detail. But you can try to brush it on in thin layers and avoid the resin from pooling in the eyes etc. BTW I used to customize 1/6 scale figures too :)
@@pandapropsncostumes Thanks!! I do custom figures, and im thinking of getting a 3d printing machine, the problem is that here in argentina, resin 3d printers are stiupidly expensive, but the fdm are really affordable. So im thinking of a fdm printer and this method for polish the finish of 1/6 or 1/4 figures
How does this hold up after time? Or in the sun? Any experience with that?
Holds up just fine. Ive coated probably 3 dozen prints and done film and TV work with this technique. Works fine. The resin is quite durable. Its not "kick it down the sidewalk durable" but nothing would be. Sun has no effect.
anyone know what resins do not inhibit RTV silicone cure? Thanks for this great video, btw.
I have used Elegoo stndard grey and black and blue resins and molded them with Smooth On RTV silicones with no issues and no mold release. Silicone cures just fine.
@@pandapropsncostumes good to know. Thank you
Just use high build primer!
I do, but this works way faster. I tend to do a couple coats of resin and then filler primer. Its a faster working process for me
I tried this using an Anycubic Clear resin. Tried curing it under a 20 watt 405nm light. A day later and the stuff is still so soft my fingerprints transfer over. I don't know if it is the brand or the fact that it is clear, but just didn't work at all for me. I won't bother trying again. This resin is way too expensive for further investigation. Thanks anyway for the tutorial.
Reports coming in: do't use clear resin with this method. I have used Elegoo standard, ABS like, Water Washable, all of them work fine
How much detail do you loose on the printed model? if you don't mind me asking?
If you on two thin coats, there's no loss of detail
@@pandapropsncostumes Cheers dude
Does it smell foul?
i wonder if using a air brush would add a more even coat to the part
Yes, I have tried it. But you have to be very careful and only spray in an encolsure with a respirator and a proper evacuation and filter setup, because now you are atomizing a resin in the air that can be inhaled and can contact skin, eyes etc. Once exposed to UV it would cure and hardened particles in the are are dangerous and toxic. I would not recommend it unless someone had all the gear to do it safely
@@pandapropsncostumes thank you for replying!
maybe in the future ill do this. Ill look into building a booth for spraying resin as well as PPE for doing it. Ill probably play it safe with a full body protective layer W/ full face respirator.
Any link for the products?
Thanks
I've updated the show notes description with info :)
Using two part epoxy on 3d prints is not a good idea because epoxy heats up when it is curing and can cause warping or melting of the pla part especially when it very thin parts.
UV resin is a one part resin that UV cures. It does heat up but its such a thin layer / coat, theres not real noticeable change in temperature when handling the part. Ive used this technique on builds for the last couple years with no issues, even thin or small parts
@@pandapropsncostumes I do know that, that is why I said "2 Part Epoxy" should not be used! Not UV, and Ive been using UV resin for year on 3d printed parts.
I wonder how do You clean Your brush after that?
With IPA isopropyl alcohol
i bought 2 different uv ligjts that ppl seem to have good results with resin curing. but i leave it under the light for 30 minutes and it still feels sticky. :(
Wash the part w IPA after. You should only need 3 minutes to cure
@@pandapropsncostumes hey thanks for the reply! So the stickiness is normal?
@@DatFunnyPerson Unless it says water washable, you need to wash it with 99% alcohol
Can you use any up resin? Like anycubics or only elgoo?
Any UV resin will work. I would suggest not using clear resin as it doesn’t seem to cure as well when applied as a thin coating
@@pandapropsncostumes awesome!! Thanks for the reply! Definitely have to try this out I’m working on a Saba sword for a friend!
have anyone tried this method on PETG prints?
is it possible to like air brush this ?
I haven’t tried it yet. Remember though that liquid particles that harden under UV can be very hazardous. So extraction and capture of particles is required. And you can’t do it outside as the resin would harden
If it is still tacky then it’s not fully cured you really shouldn’t have to clean it after curing
Have you tried it on transparent prints before?
If you mean a transparent FDM print with clear resin, its not going to work the way you think. Its not going to maintain transparency or make it any " more" clear. If thats what you mean?
Big tea spoons you have there in Canada ;+}
They’re plastic soup spoons :)
@@pandapropsncostumes Ah :)
With all the pooling and bubbles going on, I'd prefer to airbrush it on.
Spraying UV based resin is incredibly hazardous unless you have a fully enclosed and sealed paint booth with full PPE. Airborne particles that can go from liquid to solid in a UV leaked environment is a huge biohazard. This mentod doesnt work for everything or every model type. I have found using a higher quality watercolor paint brish yields way better results
You know when you're doing something with chemicals that makes perfect sense to you, but then you find out that you're actually killing yourself? That would've been me! ( Not really - but always good to mention it when recommending spray application of chemicals. I never spray chemicals without a booth and a PPE certified mask, with good filtration.
Khonshu
DO NOT airbrush UV resin! It's very dangerous and also brakes your airbrush
wood filler and dryer....same as resin but cheap
can you uhm.. maybe uhm, focus a bit on uhm.. maybe not saying uhm every uhm other uhm word.
I'll try my best :)