High-toughness resin and its applications

Amidst the rapid advancement of 3D printing technology, high-toughness resins have earned considerable attention as innovative materials in this domain. They not only showcase great properties over conventional 3D printing materials but also harbor vast prospects for the manufacturing industry.

Before introducing high-toughness resin, let's give a brief overview of 3D resin printing.

3D resin printing, also known as photo-polymerization 3D printing or liquid photo-polymerization 3D printing, is an advanced additive manufacturing technique. The workflow of resin printing is the same as traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) including Modeling, slicing and printing. But unlike FDM, resin 3D printing employs liquid resin as the raw material and uses ultraviolet (UV) light or laser beams for layer-by-layer solidification, gradually building up the three-dimensional model.

Compared to traditional FDM technology, resin 3D printing offers several distinct advantages:

• High Precision: Resin 3D printing technology enables higher printing accuracy and finer details, making it suitable for manufacturing high-precision components and complex structures.
• Durability and Strength: High-performance resin materials often exhibit exceptional durability and strength. This renders resin-printed components highly resistant to loads and stress, suitable for applications that demand durability.
• Smooth Surface Finish: As resin is in liquid form during printing, the surface of the printed objects is typically very smooth.If you need literally accurate prints, resin 3D printing is the perfect choice for you.
• Support Structures: Resin 3D printing allows the use of soluble or easily removable support structures, reducing the need for intervention and cleaning of intricate models.
• Material Diversity: Resin 3D printing offers a wide variety of materials, including plant-based resin, ABS-Like resin, high temp resin and other kind of resins.

What is high-toughness Resin?

High-toughness resin is a type of material known for its exceptional impact resistance and toughness. Typically composed of high molecular compounds such as polymers or composite materials, these resins are formulated with special toughening agents to enhance their resilience and impact resistance.

The Advantages of high-toughness Resin

The performance of high-toughness resin depends on the specific material composition and application environment, but generally exhibits the following characteristics:

• Exceptional Mechanical Performance: In comparison to conventional 3D printing materials like ABS and PLA, high-toughness resin displays elevated tensile strength and impact resistance. This confers greater durability to printed components, making them less susceptible to fracturing under external pressures and conferring more reliable performance for specific applications.
• Durability and Strength: High-performance resin materials often exhibit exceptional durability and strength. This renders resin-printed components highly resistant to loads and stress, suitable for applications that demand durability.
• Toughness: High-toughness resin possess the ability to revert to their original form post stress exposure, exemplifying remarkable elasticity and fatigue resistance. This makes them ideally suited for applications necessitating frequent deformations, such as elastic components and flexible structures.
• Chemical Corrosion Resistance: Certain high-toughness resin exhibit outstanding resistance to chemical corrosion, allowing their application in specialized environments. This empowers them to play a pivotal role in chemical industries and the medical domain.

Tips for High-Toughness Resin Printing

Here are several general recommendations for printing with high-toughness resins. While specific guidelines may vary among resin manufacturers, the following tips should also be taken into consideration:

• Printing Parameter Settings: Adjust the printing parameters based on your 3D printer model and the characteristics of the high-toughness resin. Typically, it is recommended to set the layer height within the range of 50 to 100 microns, as this contributes to achieving better printing quality.

• Support Structures: Due to the higher viscosity of high-toughness resin, avoid direct printing on the build platform to prevent difficulties in removing the parts. Utilizing comprehensive support structures is advised, as they are easier to break away, facilitating part removal. Additionally, using heated air to warm the build platform can aid in the process.

• Cleaning: Unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer, regular is propyl alcohol (IPA) can be used to clean high-toughness resin prints. However, take care not to immerse the parts in IPA for more than 20 minutes.

• Calibration and Debugging: Before commencing the printing process, ensure your 3D printer is calibrated and undergoes necessary debugging. Calibration and proper functioning of the printer are essential steps to ensure successful prints.

• Temperature Control: High-toughness resin printing may be sensitive to temperature during the process. Maintain a stable printing environment temperature to avoid temperature fluctuations negatively impacting print quality.

• Full Photo-curing: For optimal mechanical strength, high-toughness resin requires complete curing, with a recommended curing time of more than 5 minutes. The surface should be cured until it is non-adhesive to touch.

Applications of Highly Toughness Resin

General 3D printing resins find extensive use in rapid prototyping, model making, personalized products, and other similar fields. On the other hand, high-toughness resins are more commonly employed in industries requiring impact resistance and durability, such as aerospace, automotive, and medical devices. Therefore, high-toughness resin demonstrates vast potential for many application fields whether in desktop 3D printing or industrial-grade.

• Automotive and Aerospace Industries:The automotive and aerospace sectors demand lightweight and high-strength components. high-toughness resin can be harnessed in the fabrication of vehicle parts, aircraft components, and spacecraft structures.
• Medical Devices:High-toughness resin harbor promise in medical device manufacturing, encompassing medical models, prosthetics, and personalized implants.
• Sports Equipment: Sports gear, such as bicycle handles and ski boards, requires peak performance under high pressure and impact. high-toughness resin unveil new avenues for the production of such equipment.
• Functional Parts Manufacturing: Desktop 3D printers utilizing high-toughness resin can fabricate functional parts with enhanced durability and strength. These components find applications in various fields, including home, office, tools, and models.
• Mechanical Components: High-toughness resin is suitable for printing mechanical components such as gears, bearings, couplings, enabling better precision and durability on desktop 3D printers.
• Model and Prototype Production: Due to the excellent surface quality and impact resistance provided by high-toughness resin, more realistic and durable samples can be obtained for model and prototype fabrication.
• Artwork and Decorative Items: High-toughness resin is commonly used for printing artwork and decorative pieces, such as art pieces, figurines, jewelry, toys, enhancing their durability and artistic appeal.
• Customized Products: Combining the properties of high-toughness resin with desktop 3D printers allows the production of personalized products like custom phone cases, key chains, and business card holders.
• Education and Research: High-toughness resin is widely employed in desktop 3D printing for educational and research purposes. Students and researchers can rapidly fabricate various samples and experimental models using this resin.

Specifications of some High-toughness resin

-SUNLU High-toughness Resin

Tensile strength: 20MPa

Flexural strength: 20 MPa

Hardness(Shore D): 68-72

Elongation at break: 50%

Notched IZOD impact strength: 120 J/m

-ESUN Hard-tough Resin

Tensile strength: 30-60MPa

Flexural strength: 30-75 MPa

Hardness(Shore D): 75-81

Elongation at break: 35-52%

Notched IZOD impact strength: 40-110 J/m

-Anycubic Tough Resin

Tensile strength: 35-45MPa

Flexural strength: 50-60MPa

Hardness(Shore D): 76

Elongation at break: 30-50%

Notched IZOD impact strength: 50-60 J/m

-Siraya Tech Blu-Tough Resin

Tensile strength: 50MPa

Hardness(Shore D): 85

Elongation at break: 32%

Notched IZOD impact strength: 45 J/m

As 3D printing technology perpetually evolves, high-toughness resins will assume an increasingly big role in diverse fields. Nevertheless, challenges persist in the preparation and application of high-toughness resins, including material costs, printing speed, and material durability. Hence, unceasing research and development endeavors are indispensable to propel further strides in high-toughness resin.