5 Big Mistakes Beginners Make with Resin 3D Printing 

Tip #7 - use a leftover support structure and the "tank clean" feature on your vat. No need to empty it at all as the Fails stuck to the FEP will come off in one nice sheet.

I'd recommend putting UV film on windows for the room you print in. Chose the clear version and you won't even notice after fitting, it's cheap enough to give that peace of mind when leaving resin about.

Really good advice. Additional tip: If you have a failed print with bits stuck to the FEP, then run it on a full screen detect for 30-45s (same as you would do for an initial layer). Drain most (no need to remove all and clear) and then peel it all off by one of the corners. It will make sure you don't leave any bits to potentially ruin the FEP on next run.

Another mistake is to not hollow out bigger pieces. It's easy to do in the slicer, saves a bunch of resin and actually improves reliability since having to peel off a big cross section repeatedly is a big strain on the supports.

I followed the instructions that came with my Mars 3 Pro and haven't had any problems at all. Been printing nonstop for a few weeks now

Some good tips here! But a few clarifications too: 1. IPA doesn't react with FEP. It's not going to damage anything or cause cloudiness unless it's terrible quality. Something else in your process probably did that, not the IPA. 2. Depending on the resin you use, you may not want to leave it there even if you technically can. Some (most) resins will settle over time and will not give you the stated isotropic properties if you then print with them without mixing.

I live in Cali but it can get fairly cold in my garage. Other than lubricating the shaft of my printer, the only real thing I do is add extra wait times in my prints to account for the increased viscosity. At least for now. This seems to work most times. It makes a slower print, yes, but at least I get good prints nearly every time.

Hey there! Great video! I have a recommendation for cleaning the fep. Rather than a microfiber tower, a silicone spatula works very very well. It will not damage the fep at all, will not leave any scratches, and doesn't require you to come in contact with the resin with your hands, less glove usage if you use disposable. Also, resin is quite good at draining itself off, if you print a stand for the vat to drain and leave it for 10 minutes or so, most times you come back to a perfectly clean fep.

Really great video, I print all the time but try to watch videos like this from time to time just to review the basics. Had never thought about not needing IPA to clean the fep sheet! That is going to save me a lot of IPA!

I've got a large roasting tray where is do all my clean up, support removing etc, it's amazing how messed up it gets even when I'm being careful. It's all contained so is easy to clean. Another tip go to one of those bulk buy places and buy a bulk load of kitchen roll, I go through tissue paper like a teenage boy ;)

confirmed all of the things i was thinking or concerned about in advance; it's been very helpful

New to resin printing and thank you for the point about leaving the resin. I had wondered about this and I had even said to myself after my first print, "It's not like it's milk..."

For #2, I actrually use a rubber or silicone squeegee to clear 99% of the FEP and then if I feel I need to, microfiber on the edges but not usually.

For ages I just covered my vat with a piece or cardboard I cut out to size. I eventually modled and printed a cover on one of my FDM printers when the cardboard started to look a bit tatty. It served me perfectly well and I almost never poured off or cleaned my vat. Your FEP sheets last so much longer the less you interfere with them.

Honestly I’ve found great success designating a “wet” and “dry” towel to use for fep cleaning. Using the wet with ipa to go in and clean everything off and gut the bulk of it down, then going back over everything to agitate and lift the layer of ipa that causes the cloudiness, and then essentially buffering it with the dry cloth till clear. Can be pretty time consuming at times, but it works

Thank you for point 5 because I have 4 FDMs and on those you want the paper to move slightly so you probably saved me some money

There may be one error in your advise, it depends on the actual resin that you are using. Formlabs resins definitely have a rated shelf life. According to formlabs most of the engineering resins have a 12 month life span which can be improved to a degree if the resin is stored in the cartridge rather than the build tank. I made the mistake of buying a large stock of various resins that I did not try to use aside from the standard modeling resin before I was informed of this aspect 8 months later. by the time I got around to changing to some of the other resins many had become less efficient and contributed to many failed prints. Particularly the flexible resins. a particularly expensive mistake.

Tip for FEP sheet tightness: Use a plastic soda bottle twist cap under the FEP sheet as you place it on the Bracket that holds it, it will give you enough slack to tighten it down perfectly on the vat, after tightening tap it with your finger and if it sounds like a drum you're good.

some great points, I would like to add that I use IPA to clean my VAT and build plate on my Mono X, I find the cloudyness only happens if the IPA is smeared with a cloth.. if you poor some IPA into the VAP, clean with an old toothbrush and poor out the IPA, then leave it on its long metal edge to dry out in the air the FEP dries clear, I then apply a small amount of 3-in-1 PTFE spray as lubricant before adding the resin for the next print. I hope this helps! Thanks for the tip about the sound of the FEP and checking that with a smartphone

Temperature was my Bugbear. The first prints on my Saturn 2 were great - and done during Summer. Autumn came and so did failures. Gave up in winter. Tried to find out what the issue was... but no luck - the tempoerature isssue never got any mentions. Then about 5 weeks ago I saw a U-tube video on heating Resin for printing. Eureka! So I sold my Saturn 2 and bought a Saturn 4 Ultra and a Heater. Printer arrived yesterday, and heater to follow in a couple of weeks. (Printer bought locally. Heater is an import. I may find a Brewers Band if the air heater is not up to it.

I left my resin in my tank for a year. It became translucent black but after I stirred it up it was like new. Just printed a a Bulbasaur for my Daughter.

Thanks for this video. We've had a resin printer for a while now but I've been barely using it because I hated the clean up so much. I was told I needed to empty the resin out and clean it because if we left it it would set, but now I know that keeping the UV out is better for lots of reasons.

Tip 1 is the first thing I learned on my own lol. At first I was doing it because I sorely underestimated the stink resin has, and I was trying to clear the smell out, so i kept emptying the vat and cleaning it. Now I have a fume hood that the printer permanently lives in, so I stopped doing that.

I know nothing about 3D printing, but I am trying to learn from all these video presentations. Reading through the comments is literally a foreign language regarding terminology and processes. I am fast approaching retirement and am looking for a good hobby/pastime that complements my interest in model making and the comic book universe(s?) LOL Thank you for your video.

As far as cleaning, I've simply used a paper towel. I've never had any issues doing this at all. I also recommend a flexible build plate! It's save me so much time and pain scraping my prints off the bed. I have one on my mono x and I can't imagine printing without it anymore. With leveling, I just loosen all my screws up, let it home all the way down, flatten it out, then tighten up and keep it flat, and once done raise it .2mm and you're good.

My beginner first mistakes: Letting a tiny amount of clear resin seep under the vat unnoticed and harden on next use. Good luck removing that! Cleaning the printing LCD surface with acetone. This makes the polarizer permanently cloudy (I thought it has glass on top of it. It doesn't.). I buffed it for hours with chrome polishing paste, so it was somewhat clear again, and it printed almost as good as new. I later bought a new screen. Not using gloves and breathing the air with the smell produced when the resin cures or is printed. At first, nothing happened to me. For more than a month. But the allergizing effect is cumulative. Now I get a month-long skin rash from a tiny drop of the resin left on my skin, using it a lot through very thick rubber (not latex, actual >1mm thick rubber) gloves, or maybe it's just the fumes now. Anyway, I use my resin printer very rarely now because of that, went back to FDM almost entirely. Also, I don't want to end up growing a tail or a third hand because of that stuff. Getting my desk soiled with 3D resin. Now I'm allergic to my desk, no matter how many times I clean it or blast it with UV light to make the remaining resin harden and become inert. I use a full-desk mousepad now to isolate myself from it to avoid buying a new desk. Reusing IPA for cleaning many prints. This makes your prints sticky and whitened when cured with a UV lamp. Same for using soap and water to clean prints. IPA is just so expensive when it is single-use. Trying to remove resin from used IPA with UV, in a plastic bottle, in my bathroom. The resin did come out of the solution, but so did the terrible odour that remained for a few days, and was highly allergenic. Also, the white HDPE plastic bottle seems to decompose from the UV. Definitely do this outdoors in a glass bottle or better yet, a flat metal tray lit up with UV from the top. Using soap and water to clean prints that are supposed to be clear. They will definitely become white when dried. If they are supposed to be white/frosted anyway, go ahead and save some money. Using denaturated ethanol (clear, not purple of course) instead of IPA to make cleaning cheaper without checking if it contains MEK, bad smelling additives, or acetone. Find a brand that has less obtrusive additiives before you buy more than a liter of it. Getting resin on the rubber knob of my 3D printer that holds the build plate to the Z axis. Now the knob is permanently sticky, since the resin reacted with it. It cleans off with the rubber. Don't add glow-in-the-dark powder to clear resin. The few first layers, which is usually just supports, will glow intensely (almost all the powder ends up there). The rest will almost not glow, but the resin will contain enough of the powder to be infuriatingly crunchy and hard to clean out of the vat.

Thought I had a dankpods video playing in the back at 2:55

I put a spray nozzle on my IPA and spray prints as needed instead of bathing them. Sometimes I use an old toothbrush to get leftover resin completely off before curing. Uses a fraction of IPA compared to bathing prints

I was washing mine with dawn d8sh soap after using alcohol. Then using lint free towels to dry and clean, but have had to replace so many fep films. It's good to know that I don't need to use alcohol on the FEP.

Not too many prints in yet, but if I took the build plate off by using the top knob, the prints after didn't want to stick to the build plate until leveled again. If I take the prints off without removing the build plate I haven't had issues with the next print coming off the plate. I tighten the 4 allen screws as much as I dare, looks to be all aluminum.

I would suggest some kind of plastic tray to keep under your printer, and workarea, to contain the resin if your fep ever decides to break. Ikea has some very cheap ones that are perfect for it

I have found certain window cleaners clean up the vat very nicely Something in the window cleaner neutralizes the resin

add some uv blocking film to your windows breh. Otherwise i've been stung by not cleaning the vat cause almost every print fails. Learned the no ipa on fep early on. To learning

I don’t even take the build plate off my machine to get my prints. I just pry them off upside down. I find that I don’t have to relevel as much and have had zero fails other than when there has been a lack of supports. Also if I’m going into another print I pry off the previous prints and go right into another without cleaning off the build plate.

If I level my printer so tight that I can't move it, I got issues. I lift the plate, so the paper just bearly can move. I do the same with my cnc mill. It's not much (maybe it doesn't really make a difference) but for me it's better this way.

Great tipps and video. Thanks for telling it so clearly :D

Awesome video man! Will certainly try that fermentation belt trick. The temperature has always been a bottleneck for my resinprinting.

So you dont need leveling after every time when you finish printing with success? And resin can stay in printer bath if printing is succes. How long?

Finally, a positive to living in permanently never less than 25c even overnight… all year. Tropics baby hahah

3DPP is our manual support messiah without him i'd have gone in so chaotic

I built myself a 16x14 dark room in my garage, fully framed out and complete with its own inside roof. The garage has two tall garage doors and they let in all of the sunlight. I'm in Florida, so I also put an air conditioner in it so I can work year-round. I have three resin and three FDM printers in there, but I also use it for crafting work and metal work with a mill and a bunch of other tools, a welder and generally anything else not related to woodworking, which fills up the other 3/4 of the garage.

I bought a used resin printer, I printed some wedges for it’s flaw. But the plate arm wiggles even when unreasonably tight. Check for loose things. It should be solid feeling.

Nice! Where can I buy this heater you use?

To clean the alcohol in the cleaning station, I run the cleaning station alcohol (int the vat) through the "curing" cycle a few times then filter it. I do this after the alcohol appears to be loaded up with uncured resin. Works well, takes little time, and I don't wasted too much alcohol.

In my case I NEED to clean the resin out of this halot one I bought on Facebook Marketplace. There is a reason it was $25. I had to just buy a new vat because of how bad it was. I don't think it's good to leave a failed print in there for 2 years to harden.

Thank you so much. I was wondering about several of these.

It be possible to resident print a VAT for your resin printer

You: "Keep the 3D printer out of the sun." Me: *prints on the balcony because I have no space nor do I want to gas my pet snakes* "Hee hoo"

Just found your channel. Hope to get my 1st printer later this year.

I have an anycubic m3 max and I left the resin in there for a few months and the powder coating of the tray flaked off into the resin even before this though I have a consistent layer shift that I cant get rid of about 2-3 mm into the print I'm ordering a new tray but I tried printing in the old one till I got the new tray and other than the first print which only had a single print fail because of orientation every print since has failed at about the 10 mm mark for larger prints and the 1-2 mm mark for smaller prints. can anyone think of a way to fix this?

Thank you for this information . I have a question , where did you buy the VAT heating tape and how do you control its temperature ?

I just bought my first resin printer and watching this video really helped me on things to and not to do. Question In my house I have a window in every room would putting a towel over the printer work or would it affect ventilation or ruin the resin/prints?

This guy was obviously Testing some headphones during this video's recording :-) (IYKYK).

Denatured alcohol/methylated spirits won't cloud your FEP. I've found it all around nicer to use and a lot cheaper than IPA. I've found that I only have to warm my resin at the start of printing. After that the curing reaction is exothermic and along with the heat from the UV lights it can keep itself warm enough. I do live in Australia, so take what I say with that particular grain of salt.

Tip 6. When removing prints, pour a kettle full of boiling water over the back plate (not print) then it will be massively easier to remove the print.

How to both print in a well-ventilated area and avoid sunlight?

I usually try to make sure there are good preparations before printing. In the past I often made the mistake of not shaking the resin well before putting it in the tray and had the problem that it would lose size due to the amount of resin being deposited and liquid on the top. So in my opinion, shaking well for about 5 minutes before use will give a better than expected result. I live in Vietnam, so the weather is also quite warm, I wonder how affected people in cold countries will be?

Great video!

My printer does not print, when calibrating the image that it should not appear. What will be the problem? What should I do?

if your resin separate from staying in the vat for to long, use a hairdryer to mix it, 2 in 1, you mix it, and heat it which lowers viscosity and helps with printing.

I'm a total noob when it comes to this process of 3d printing. at 0:37 time stamp you've said something bad about IPA and you just blew my mind. What's wrong with IPA? I'm going to open a fresh & cold can of IPA and sip it as I continue trough your video. There you have it :D

why you mentioned save hair in the beginning of video? Edwards

Hello, I am new at resin printing and am a little bit scared, do you think 3d printing is worth the risk because I heard a lot and am not sure if I am safe anymore I wear mask and gloves and I try to be very careful but I have read many horror stories, is resin that big deal , do you have any health problems from resin, if a spill happens it will be a huge problem for my health?

Excuse me. My 3d prints have been failing and i think if's because I don't have a enclosure and a fermantation belt. what tent and belt should i use. I heard the belt can automatically adjust to keep the printer at the right temp in a vid.

I was given an old Proton Mono X but I can't even test it as I don't have the power supply - what is it rated at? My best guess is 12V at 6A positive tip.

Hey Came across your video man , I have an Anycubic Photon Mono X and the only issue I have is the resin is sticking to the FEP and its not Sticking to my build plate. I have leveled the plate, I have changed the angle of the file , I have added supports, I added more supports. Im at a loss man. I have made solid prints but mostly smaller prints and im trying print a File for my father for Christmas and unfortunately I will be unable too I was wondering if you have any tips and tricks to help me out? Cheers!

#10 Exposure time is critical to dial in to get the best results based on the resin you are using. Keep a log for resin-machine results. Use a good exposure testing tools that are not subjective, such as The Cones of Calibration.

the exact info I needed! Just got my first ever 3d printer Photon Mono M5s

I don't want to leave the resin in the vat because its right next to my desk (I live in very small apartment) and I don't want to be breathing in the fumes all the time.

Wait so the paper under the plate should NOT move? RU-vidrs have been telling me that it has to move slightly

I had the thing with the sunlight happen. I had my printer standing right by my window, thinking "Ah, it's a UV proof cover!" Which is true.... but the enclosure of the printer is not. Sunlight gets in. My resin went yellow and thick after a long time

"Like the smash button" ok im here for the long haul now :)

what's IPA? im in a spanish speaking country and when I search for it, shows nothing related with 3d printing

With the lid on and OUT OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT it is fine.

where did you get the insulated heater band ?

isn't it hazardous to just leave resin out in the open?

Wish I would’ve found this video before I started printing 🤦🏻‍♂️ I would always clean it after every print and would use alcohol and the clear sheet would get foggy

Do someone know ehre can i buy teh screen he almost break with a harmer? mine is broken dont ask how and now i need a new one and the plastic protector that goes under were you put the resin, and now i dont know how is that called to look for in amazon do someone know?

Curious: What air temperature should I be shooting for? Is room temp fairly decent, ~20 C?

what is the belt thing you used to heat your resin?

So u take out prints scrap off and plate tilts dosent that ruin level

thank you. googleing what a fep is now.

thank you for the video! Im a 3d game artist looking to make some of my anime sculpts into figures, would you have a good recommendation on what printer to get? my budget is 3k. Im doing research and it looks like a resin printer would be a start but I'm honestly a total beginner, haha. I appreciate any advice you can give! Thanks for the video!

I didn't know it was the ipa cloudi g my screens cleaning. Thank you

M'y original anycubic fep IS frosted IS it normal ?

I lost a printer screen because I newbishly followed this video's advice about not cleaning my vat, until my FEP tore. Being able to see your FEP makes it a lot easier to verify whether your last print may have stressed it to the point of risking a tear on the next print. And a FEP full of resin is a FEP that is hard to inspect. Don't let a FEP problem turn into a $200 screen problem. Clean your vat bucko.

I'll be honest, I have never, not once, had any issues with sunlight on my printer. No overcuring, nothing. Not sure what causes it in your case.

To clean out my vat I've bought a giant syringe (500ml) to suck the resin out instead of trying not to make a mess when pouring.

always remember. just because you don't have to clean the vat between prints, it's a good idea to still search for floating pieces broken off from the previous print.

Him: Keep it out of the sun. Me, a cave dweller: What's sun, Precious?

sunlight. most underrated factor in creating resin issues. ☀

have you got a product link to the heating coil you used?

Thanks for the video! ALL of my solid prints get stuck to the FEP, ripping off at the claws of the supports. The plate base layers are solid and everything prints great until the layer I am printing becomes fairly large and it suction onto the fep, ripping off from the support talons and failing the print. i tried using lube onto the fep, i tried angling the model but nope. Anycubic mono 6k and Anycubic plant base resin FYI. Need help asap! -_-

is the curator necessary?

Should you remove supports before or after curing the prints?

Please tell me ,what is this heating belt are You using, or where can ill buy this type?

Lounge music is cool

IMO you should inspect your prints before you print more cause if there are sections where it didn't print correctly then more than likely there could be bets of harden resin in the vat of resin so you'll need to drain it.

I've destroyed an fep sheet forgetting resin in the vat for too long.

Another tip you might want to add, the print surface itself should be level. If it isn’t, your prints will always fail or have errors.