Sankets Journal

Why I chose fdm over resin 3d printer

Author: Sanket Sonavane

Publish Date: 2023-02-02

Last Updated: 2023-02-08

Table Of Content

I will keep things super simple while explaining this

fdm printing

FDM or Fused deposition modeling is 3D printing where you use filaments made of PLA, PETG, ABS , Nylon etc which goes through a hot nozzle to melt the filament and as it comes out of the nozzle the filament is cooled and placed on a hot bed with the help of x y z axis motors which move simultaneously to help you create the 3d print. this happens layer over layer and you get a 3d printed object. once the object is printed you can touch it with your hands and its ready to be placed in the real world where you need it.

This way of bringing your 3d ideas to life in a easy to handle way is what makes FDM 3d printing so amazing

resin printing

liquid resin is used to print your 3d object. Then once the print is complete you need to immerse this in Iso Propyl Alcohol or IPA for cleaning. Then this needs to be cured in uv light box or some people also use sunlight. There is this additional post processing required to be done after every print which can be time consuming and you cannot touch your models with bare hands untill the whole processing is complete. the liquid resins should never be touched with bare hands and you should always wear gloves while handling it.

This produces higher quality prints compared to fdm and can be used for creating minature models. They look really sharp and you cant see the layer lines like in a fdm print.

my conclusion

While resin produces high resolution and high quality prints the post processing and handling is a headache for home user and if not careful this can cause a hazard at home. fdm prints even not as high resolution as resins they are really quite good and also strong and durable as per what I have noticed. so for the easy of handling I chose to go with fdm based 3d printers for home usage or any one new to the world of 3d printing.

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