[Savage GT]

OK, this is just a curiosity question, but why can resin printers make a better job of fine detail and produce less ridges on curves than plastic ones ?

[Kevan]

Because printing resolution is much finer, I just printed a Ford Galaxie 500 in 20um layers, there's no way my Prusa could print that fine and keep corners sharp.

• Filament prints are more durable than resin prints 
  
• Resin prints are affected by heat, I find they can warp if sat in my car on a hot sunny day
  
• Resin printing can be quicker than filament printing
  
• Resin is more of a homogenous part without layers that filament prints have
  

For bodyshells and super fine detail stuff I prefer resin, for chassis I much prefer filament

[GT40Racer]

I am thinking the finer detail comes because plastic printers squeeze melted plastic out of a nozzle whereas resin printers use a screen to expose UV sensitive resin to UV light using smaller pixels than the size of the nozzle.

Also the plastic printer mechanically move on the XYZ plane to put down its layers whereas resin printers only move up and down and the layer is put down by light exposure not squirting melted plastic there would be limits to the quality of the parts that control the precision of the moving parts on the plastic printer whereas on the resin printer the computer maps out a grid coordinate based on the screen resolution (eg my printer has 4,096 x 2,560 pixels)

[MrFlippant]

Yep, it's all about resolution, both on the XY (pixels) and on the Z (layers). You can go pretty thin with layers on a filament printer, but that also introduces new things to deal with that thicker layers don't have. Resin, by nature, can do much thinner layers. The "rough" layer thickness of a resin printer is about the same as the "fine" layer thickness of a filament printer, but the resin can go considerably thinner. Also, the nature of the process means that there is a natural "dithering" of the pixels, which smooths things out even more.

They each have their place in the hobby, and they each have pros and cons to consider when trying to decide between the two kinds for a first printer. There's more to a decision than just resolution.

[Kevan]

Filament prints are much quicker to set up, much quicker to clean up afterwards and much less danger to your health - compared to resin printing.

[MrFlippant]

Yeah, I'll be honest... I avoid using my resin printer as much as possible. It spends most of its time dormant while my filament machines are printing almost 24/7.

[Kevan]

You can recycle filament waste and failed prints but you can't recycle resin once it's cured.
I wish there was a cheap way to recycle filament, my Prusa isn't busy enough to warrant the outlay.

[MrFlippant]

You can recycle filament waste and failed prints but you can't recycle resin once it's cured.
I wish there was a cheap way to recycle filament, my Prusa isn't busy enough to warrant the outlay.

Yeah, I went down that rabbit hole. There's no economic way to return it to usable filament in your own home yet. Machines that can do a passable (not GOOD, just usable) job are way too expensive for most people. The best option I've seen is a company that pays the shipping of scrap to them, for which they give you credit toward their spools of recycled material. It's just in Europe for now, but if you're serious, it's worth looking into and properly collecting your scrap for future shipment.


https://recyclingfabrik.com/

And yeah, the waste/chemical byproducts of resin printing are that much more caustic and a pain to deal with.

[HWP]

I've been 3D modeling and printing (resin, filament, and even metal) for over 10 years. Choosing one type of printer over another is like trying to choose between a wrench and a hammer. Sometimes you can use them interchangeably... but usually not too well. But they are both incredibly handy tools.

For anyone interested in jumping in, I'd first suggest trying out some of the many free 3D modeling and file repair tools... you're going to need them even if you just want to print other people's models.

Also with resin, do yourself a big favor and watch videos like this one... the chemicals involved can be caustic, toxic, messy, and smelly. 



Resin printing produces some of the best detailed prints available. But requires a lot of care to handle things safely. And even if you use water washable resin (which I don't recommend for many reasons), "water soluble" does not mean its non-toxic. The rinse water should NOT be sent down a drain. I once spilled a few drops on the grass outside my workshop door. And I had a bare spot there for 2 years. Handle with care!

[Kevan]

Angus (Makers Muse) was always my first choice when looking for help in the early days.