Form 3 SLA 3D Printers
Safety
Because these printers deal with resin, we have to be careful with how we handle the parts.
Always wear gloves when dealing with uncured resin or isopropyl alcohol.
This includes moving the print from the printer to the wash, removing the print from the build plate, and putting it in the curing station.
Uncured resin may cause skin irritation or an allergic reaction.
Never ingest resin in liquid or solid form.
When removing parts from the build plate, always orient the spatula away from yourself.
Some methods of support removal may cause small pieces of supports to break away. Beware of flying debris and consider wearing eye protection and gloves to protect the skin and eyes.
The safety data sheets for all of the resins used in the lab can be found here
Rules
You must receive staff approval before starting a print. Prints over 100mL are highly discouraged unless for academic projects.
Your first print and post processing must be done under staff supervision.
You may remove your own prints from the printer, but please allow staff to remove other prints.
Do not start a print unless you are able to remove it within a day of the print finishing (assuming the lab is open).
Any prints over 10 hours require justification.
You must put your name in the print job file name.
Please notify staff when you want to change materials. Experienced members may change materials themselves but only with explicit permission.
Do not put uncured resin down the sink.
How do I get access to these printers?
The Form 3 resin printers need more care to use and therefore require a quiz and training. You must first have printed several times with the Ultimakers before moving to the Form 3 printers. These printers require that you have passed a quiz to use. You may reference this page and the First Print Tutorial to pass the canvas quiz. You may enroll in the canvas course here.
Once you have passed the quiz, to complete the training, prepare a print file according to the First Print Tutorial with any part you want (we encourage smaller parts) and then demonstrate to a staff member your sliced file and proper procedures for starting and finishing a print.
material costs
You will have to pay per mL for your resin prints. The cost is dependent on which resin you are using:
Standard resins are $0.10/mL
These resins include, Black, White, Grey, Clear, and Draft
Engineering resins are $0.20/mL
These are any other resin besides the standard resins including but not limited to Tough 1500, Tough 2000, Durable, Elastic 50A, Flexible 80A
You are permitted one free print per week <30mL of a standard resin
Reminder that all prints should be approved by a staff member
Always refer to the Material Store page for the most updated pricing.
This Grey print of 67.55mL is above the weekly single print limit of 30mL so it will cost $6.76.
How does it work?
The Formlabs Form 3 printers are resin printers that use a type of additive manufacturing technology called stereolithography (SLA). This printer lowers the build plate into a vat of resin which is then cured in the desired locations by a laser. It then moves up a layer and repeats the process, building the part upside down.
One of the advantages of this printer, over other additive manufacturing technologies like FFF (also known as FDM) that is employed by the Ultimakers is that you can achieve much higher resolutions and smoother parts. Additionally, the materials printed using SLA have a much wider variety of properties, including very soft and flexible parts to tough or rigid parts.
More resources
Learn the basics of resin 3D printing!
Use resin printing to make the frames of these earrings!
Learn sanding and finishing techniques which can apply to multiple printing methods.
Materials & Applications
We have Standard and Engineering resins available for printing with the Form 3 printers
Standard / General Purpose Resin: Grey, White, Black, Clear, and Draft
Standard resins have a matte finish and provide incredible small details. However, parts can be brittle depending on how thin and small the features are.
Applications
Miniatures
Scale models
Art/ Sculptures
Toy design
Props
Etc...
Not ideal for resin printing
Parts that are large
Parts that do not require a high level of detail
*The part can be printed on the Ultimakers*
Engineering Resin: Tough 1500, Tough 2000, Durable, Flexible 80a, and Elastic 50a
High detail, less brittle than the standard resins, and provide more impact resistance. However, they are more expensive and can expire within months of opening regardless of use.
*Make sure your part needs to be printed in one of the materials above before printing in an engineering resin*
Applications
Toy design
Consumer goods prototyping
Seals, gaskets
Handles, grips
Etc...
Not ideal for resin printing
Parts that are large
Parts that do not require a high level of detail
*The part can be printed on the Ultimakers*
Parts that do not require strength or flexibility
If part does not require a high level of detail but needs impact resistance, the Fuse 1 or Markforged may be a better option