3rd Party Resin from ApplyLabWork

General Discussion
1

Tonight I had a chance to try a new resin from a third party provider, called ApplyLabWork. They were kind enough o provide me with a liter of their resin to try and evaluate.

The company makes a few resins with properties similar to FormLabs resins, including a couple of standard resins (they refer to them as Modelling), as well as a flexible resin. From the looks of it, they plan on offering more resin types (Engineering and Specialty), but there no info on those as yet.

The resin I tried is their basic Modelling Beige, which is pretty viscous, and looks similar to the FormLabs white, only a bit more cream colored (like vanilla ice cream).

The first test print was on something that I think is pretty demanding, one my very small Warhammer miniatures. The settings are very simple, White V1, and I printed this at 0.1mm The print was successful, without any missing or distorted parts. A couple of minutes in a IPA bath and out to dry for another 15 minutes. After that, it was an easy to handle non-sticky model.

I then removed the supports, which were still pretty soft, and came off without much fuss. I then took the pictures below, before I put the model in the UV oven, where it will be curing for the next hour or so.

For now it’s kind of hard to tell the surface details, but once the model is cured, I’ll give it a color wash to enhance the surface details, and post additional pictures.

All in all, I’m very happy with this new resin, and for those that are looking for an alternative to Formlabs resin, this one will do just fine.

Oh, and did I mention, the basic resin I used, is only $60, shipped. Roughly 1/3 what you’d pay FormLabs.

I don’t yet know how harsh this will be on the PDMS, but as I progress with it, I’ll post more information.

Meanwhile if you’re interested in getting some for yourselves, here is the link:

http://www.applylabwork.com/products/design-concept/modeling

/

Ultramarine print test.jpg1280Ă—1024 177 KB

4 Likes
2

Are you using a Form1 or 2 with this resin?

I just got a Form 2 and part of what I like is the cartridge system and auto fill of the tank. How often do you have to fill a tank during your prints using open mode?

3

I should have negotiated lol I paid for mine :joy: Glad the beige is working well too.

4

I’m using it on a Form 1+, so I don’t need to use Open Mode. You could also try to refill your empty cartridge if you have one around.

5

I assume you bought one of their resins? Which one, and how is it working out for you?

6

Here are a few shots of the model with a blue wash applied to highlight the details.

Considering this model is 55mm ( a little over 2 inches in height, the detail very good. As good as I got from FormLabs resin.

Ultramarine print test 3.jpg1920Ă—951 303 KB

3 Likes
7

We have been discussing this resin supplier on another thread as well. I have been talking with them about the specifics related to using on Form 2 in auto mode via old cartridges. The only snag is finding v1 stuff.
As for the PDMS, they state rigorous testing on Formlabs printers.

1 Like
8

I bought the model black. It works well besides the fact it has to be refilled every 100ml

9

Can’t believe it’s this hard to find a v1 cartridge I’m a pack rat and keep all expensive stuff even if it’s disposable

10

There used to be a few people on eBay that were reselling empty cartridges. In fact there is a guy selling empty gray v3. cartridges.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-Grey-Resin-1L-Cartridge-Formlabs-Form-2-/322619333628?epid=629898135&hash=item4b1d9c5bfc:g:w0UAAOSwTM5YxbwS

You might want to contact him and see if he has any other cartridges.

On the other hand, you might try to see if the black resin prints OK with another profile, (like other blac versions or even grey maybe?). This way, you won’t need to search for that elusive Black v1.

11

They are formulated to use those cure times. I have emailed Applylabwork about maybe using an inhibitor or light blocker like 3DResysn so that another profile can be used.

1 Like
12

I have, in the past used different profiles with with different resins, and found, for example, that I can print Grey v1 with Clear v2 profile, and do so way beyond the expiration date of the Grey resin.

I also used Grey v3 with Black v2, because I couldn’t successfully print with Grey v3 on my Form 1+.

So yes, I know that the profiles are designed to optimize the exposure rate, number of passes and peel strategy for each resin type, but nothing is written in stone, worst thing that could happen is a failed print.

So you can certainly experiment… if you wanted to.

13

Something just dawned on me.

I’m not familiar with the Form 2, but if the cartridges have a built in RFID or similar mechanism, that tells the printer what type of resin it is, do you still have to tell it what type of resin you’re using or is it automatic? Can you manually select the resin type from the drop down menu?

14

Using cartridge chooses the settings for you.

15

Yeah like was mentioned apply labwork says to use that specific profile for their resins. It would be nice if you could use a different profile. It with the form 2 the cartridge that you use has to match the resin profile because the whole point is to use it in regular mode so you get the dispense for large parts

16

Not possible with the form 2 lol I tried it the printer won’t start printing at all

17

If the cartridge and selected profile don’t match correct?

18

This is yet another reason why I probably won’t be buying a Form 2 any time soon.

All this nifty automation comes at the expense of flexibility. I’m not sure how much freedom you have when using open mode, but the “closed” mode is not for me. I read all these posts about the printer not recognizing the cartridge, or the vat or whatever, and you can’t print because of some silly glitch due to all these bells and whistles.

On the other hand, while I don’t have the automatic refill for my Form 1+, I can refill during the print, so that works for me just fine.

FWIW, the vat can hold at least 200ml. I had a print once that was 180+ml, and when it was done, there was still plenty of resin left in the tray

19

Correct

20

Yeah makes sense I mean open mode works just fine it’s draw back is the pause that it has at 100ml if they would up the pause to 175ml the machine would be awesome and all that I would need. Applylab works has done a great job tuning their resins and the cost of 60 bucks is pretty darn good.

I want to try their flexible now