Photocentric UV resin compatibility guide

Our high-performance resins have been formulated to be compatible with a wide range of 3rd party 385nm or 405nm 3D printers. To review the available resins, please visit our materials page 

UV Resin Layer Exposure

Overview

This guide will assist you in establishing a layer exposure time for a desired resin and layer thickness based on the characteristics of Photocentric’s UV Resin range and your UV 3D printer.

Each resin requires a specific energy to cure a certain layer thickness. ‘Energy’ is defined by multiplying ‘light output intensity’ of your printer and a ‘given time of exposure’. The equation below simply explains the matter:

Energy [mJ/cm²]= Light Output Intensity [mW/cm²] x Exposure Time [s]

Your UV 3D printer manufacturer will provide you with light output intensity value.

Example

For this example, we will look to establish the exposure time for a 100 µm layer with Durable UV80. The energy required for this is 12.1 mJ/cm². and the chosen UV 3D printer has a light output intensity of 6.2 mW/cm².

So, to calculate the exposure time, divide the Energy by the light output intensity:

12.1 ÷ 6.2 ≈ 2.0 s

Information on required energy for Photocentric’s UV Resin range can be found here >

Post Processing

All printed parts will need to be exposed to UV light to obtain the mechanical properties found in the technical data sheet for that material. Some resins require difference post exposures therefore please refer to individual technical data sheets for post processing instructions which can be found here >

How to achieve a crystal clear finish with Durable UV SuperClear?

Parts after print are matt and not clear. This is due to the nature of 3D printing, layers steps and pixelation. To achieve clear finish, the parts should be post-processed as below:

For a Crystal Clear (Gloss) effect, parts can be finished with wet sanding to achieve a very smooth surface. It is recommended to start sanding Durable UV SuperClear parts with 320-360 grit sandpaper to remove layer lines from the print process, moving to higher grit sandpaper for polishing. A suitable polishing compound can also be used. Once the surface is as smooth as desired, the part should be cleaned well with soap and water and fully dried. An appropriate gloss clear acrylic lacquer (e.g. Tamiya Clear X-22) can then be applied to reveal a glass-like finish.