I use the Form 3 and I was wondering if anyone has used any third party resins or if any are even compatible with the Form 3. 150 USD is shockingly expensive for a liter of resin, and I can’t really afford to keep buying it. Any information is appreciated.
There are several 3rd party resins compatible with the Form 3 serie printers.
One of the most used is ApplyLabWork resins. But you would need a universal cartridge by ProtoART to be able to use these resins in the printer.
Have you used any of them from AppleLabWork? How would they differ to the default FormLabs resin?
The resin works fine. The expert black is a more transparent than the formlabs black but then again it can handle a lot more abuse before breaking.
For most prints it’s worth it considering the cost saving.
imo i think @fantasy2 is the seller of the universal catride how often he mention it here in the forum. 
But i’m happy that there is a solution out!
Anyway, i’ll will also get an universal tank soon and switch to siraya tech or ApplyLabWork resin for my next batch and see what happens.
Before you buy an universal tank - you can also test the resin just with a used cartride for around 1L before the system will look the cartride (what i read here in the forum).
I think the most think to worry is how long the last of the tank. How aggressive is the resin to the film…
So maybe just empty the resin from the tank back to the bottle before take a longer break and just refill the tank with a litte bit of OEM resin of the same “class” to avoid dry out. That would be my tactic to go…
I really hope some more people post their experience to get an good alternative for larger projects…
I tested an ApplyLabWorks amber resin on my Form3 … a resin they claimed was a good substitute for FL’s GreyPro which is my go-to resin for model railroad parts. After 4 prints using a new FL tray, parts started sticking to the film and breaking during removal. Further evaluation, including reading various posts here dating back to August 2017, indicates their resin, not just what I tested, is more aggressive on tanks (read: shortens the lifespan). FL’s customer support told me that, while they are aware that the Form3 will print 3rd party resin with a universal cartridge, using such voids all warranties against equipment failure.
Aside from escalated tank wear which, IMO, can’t be offset by cheaper ALW resin ($99 vs $180 GreyPro), the smell is objectionable to me. I rarely notice FL’s Clear or GreyPro. Lastly, despite their claims which were reiterated to me by an ALW customer service guy, the amber resin is far more brittle than GreyPro after being post-processed the same way, turns noticeably yellow and warps.
My conclusion is that the amount of risk to leaking trays, advanced wear, voided warranties, objectionable smell, having to buy universal cartridges, etc. isn’t worth ANY potential “cost savings” in resin. You get what you pay for. 3D printing is NOT perfect and certainly NOT an end-all-be-all. It’s another tool but you need to spend time learning what works for YOUR application. Having in-house printing capabilities is FAR superior to sending stl files to a service bureau, wait for a week or more to get parts, and pay at least 10x what I have invested in printing my own, including my time. I was a regional Sales Engineer for a service bureau 1996-2000 and always had to explain that SLAs were a means to an end, not the final solution (at that time, there were VERY few resin options, too). We’ve come a long way, baby :-).
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