How to improve clear resin part clarity and texture?

General Discussion
1

So I did my first print using the clear resin on form3. Came out decent but with few issues if anyone can help me with:

  1. Some residual sharp points I assume from the support breakpoints. Should I use some sandpaper or dremel to smooth it out? What kind do you recommend?
  2. on the built plate the part appears crystal clear but after washing and curing it looks more of a dirty semi opaque look. Any way to retain that original clarity?
  3. Despite washing (10 min) and curing (15 min), every time I handle the part it leaves my hands with a lasting rough and dry feel. Doesn’t look like anything is flaking off and there is no residual uncured resin. Anybody has experience with this? Just makes it very unpleasant to hold in your hands

Thanks

2

That sounds really odd in terms of the coarse texture or unpleasant feeling you’re getting. I haven’t tried clear on Form 3 but on the Form 2 it has a similar feel of standard grey. The clearness of the resin seems to diminish with washing and curing but this can be restored with some post processing such as sanding, plastic polishing, and clear coating. Formlabs has written an article about the topic that should help. Best of luck.

https://formlabs.com/blog/3d-printing-transparent-parts-techniques-for-finishing-clear-resin/

3

One of the possibilities explained in the blog indicates to put a thin layer of clear resin.
This method leaves queand even traces of drips.
Question : which product can be used to make the resin more liquid?
This would allow a better application or even dip objects in it!

5
  1. The sharp point are normal.you can decrease the size of the touchpoints and put them on parts of the model where they are easier to sand off.Part of the process of printing parts is figuring out the best orientation and touchpoint size to get a good print with easy clean up .After a few prints you will get better at this.
    You can use sandpaper to remove the rough spots.I usually start with either 320 or 400 grit.if you use too rough a sandpaper you will get a lot of scratches on the surface which you will need to sand out and polish (see 2)

2.The parts always go opaque after washing and curing.You can sand them with fine sandpaper (600 grit to 2000 grit) to get a smooth surface and then use an acrylic gloss coat to restore their clarity.

  1. You may have some residual alcohol or partially cured resin on the parts.I usually wash mine with soapy water once they are washed and cured and that often gets rids of anything left on the surface.if I am painting the paint i will wash them with a degreaser.
1 Like
6

IPA roughens the surface, try something like TPM or DPM. It gives much clearer parts.

7

Thx for all the advices.

Yes this is fresh IPA.

I’ll attempt a longer wash next time. And also water wash the part after curing.

8

I’m using 0.3 touch points. Able to snap off the part from the supports in one piece after cutting off some of the peripheral supports. But it leaves lots of tiny dots where the support points are. Most of which not sharp or protruding, but definitely visible