Best third-party resin for mouldforms printing

[Segitarius]

Hi Folks.

I am after my first attempts at making injection molds printed on a 3D printer. I am delighted with the ease of making these molds, and the quality. Unfortunately, the durability of the molds leaves a lot to be desired. Could the more experienced among you give me some advice for a quick start?

1. Do you cool the molds while working? Are there cooling channels in the molds?
2. What printing materials do you use. What is the best material.
3. I have a Formlabs Form 3L printer. Ideally, it would be possible to print with some non-original material. The original ones are too expensive in relation to the quality. I currently use Applylabworks expert black. For injection mold making purposes, can you recommend me some other cheaper resin?

[ctbrahmstedt]

Form’s high temp resin may be worth giving a shot.

[Jesse_K]

Hi @Segitarius,

Thanks for reaching out! While I don’t have third-party resin recommendations, I wanted to pass along our Injection Molding Application Guide as a helpful resource. In terms of Formlabs resins, Rigid 10K, High Temp, and Grey Pro may all be good options for you.

[FHart]

While not the cheaper option you asked for we had a successful first run with Rigid 10k. After ~80 parts the mold has no real wear apart from some discoloration.