Hi, I used white resin a lot because it proved to be very accurate and did not need uv-curing. Now I want to use Grey Pro because I need more strength for engineering parts. Does anyone have experience with Grey Pro? How accurate is it compared to White resin? I need very high accuracy and deformations would be very bad for the parts I need. Does it deform when uv-cured? Is uv-curing necessary?
Formlabs documentation says Grey Pro should have similar accuracy to the standard resins.
But I noticed a slight deterioration in accuracy of some features when I switched from standard Grey to Grey Pro for my BabyForm2 bases: Grey Pro dimensional accuracy
I know a model maker who used Grey Pro regularly. He liked it (it’s got a great surface finish, and is a bit less brittle than standard resins). Then he once accidentally ordered a cartridge of dental Model resin, which Formlabs billed as their “Most Accurate Material Yet” when they released it. I think it was v1. He loved Model and last I heard switched to it permanently. I can’t find the v1 description page or old pricing, but I think Formlabs has broadened marketing of Model beyond dental applications and possibly lowered the price since then (would love if someone who was paying attention could confirm).
If your emphasis is on strength then Grey Pro or one of the Tough family of resins is likely the best choice. If accuracy is paramount and the skin-tone color isn’t a problem then you might want to test out Model.
Curing is recommended for both. Grey Pro is 15 mins at 80°C. Model V2 is 30 mins at 60°C and has equivalent mechanical properties to Grey V3, according to that link.
Thanks for the information. Seems like I may stick to Standard Resins. Is there some information to what degree deformations occur on Grey Pro with and without cureing? How is the dimensional/geometrical accuracy over distances of under 10cm?
Generally, from what I’ve seen and based on how the printer works, the more rigid the resin, or the higher the stiffness, the more accurate your parts should turn out. Formlabs has datasheets for all their resins that you can compare with.
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