家用3D 打印机(3D printers)现已上市多年，任何想要一台的人都能负担得起。他们已经从业余爱好者的好奇心成长为有用的工具，可以帮助您解决家中的小问题、创作艺术品或帮助您为项目制作零件原型。3D 打印机的用途仅限于您的想象力！
然而，现在，一种完全不同类型的 3D 打印机正在进入国内市场。这些“树脂”3D 打印机使用非常不同的原理来创建 3D 对象，与您迄今为止可能看到的那些相比。什么是 3D 树脂打印机，您是否应该在现有的更传统型号上购买一台？
传统 3D 打印机回顾
如果您想深入了解 3D 打印机的工作原理，请查看HDG 说明：3D 打印如何工作？(HDG Explains : How Does 3D Printing Work?)如果你没有时间，这里是简短的版本。
大多数人认为的“3D 打印机”实际上是一种称为FDM（熔融沉积成型）打印机的东西。它通过热挤出机头运行材料细丝（通常是塑料），然后沉积精确的材料层以缓慢构建模型。
最常见的FDM机器是“笛卡尔”型 3D 打印机。它有一个安装在可移动导轨上的打印头，可以将打印头的尖端精确地放置在打印机构建体积内的任何XYZ坐标上。(XYZ)
无论您正在查看哪种类型的FDM打印机，它们都是共享的长丝材料的分层挤压。树脂(Resin)打印机在这方面有着根本的不同。
树脂 3D 打印机解释
树脂 3D(Resin 3D)打印机在一些基本方面与FDM打印机不同。首先(First)，该材料是一种液态树脂，而不是一卷长丝。这种液体保存在储液罐中。
树脂打印机仍然为正在打印的模型使用构建平台，但它通常是颠倒的。随着每一层的形成，平台被从树脂桶中提起。树脂本身对光敏感，当暴露在正确类型的光下时会固化。
精密光源用于在前一层之上形成每一层，直到整个成品模型从大桶中拉出。它看起来肯定比FDM打印更具未来感！
树脂打印机(Resin Printer)类型：SLA , DLP & LCD 技术(LCD Technology)
虽然所有树脂打印机都使用用光源固化光敏树脂的基本原理，但它们并非都以相同的方式进行。事实上，3D 树脂打印机分为三种主要子类型。
SLA：立体光刻
SLA实际上是原始的3D打印技术，在工程方面有着悠久的历史，尤其是在航空航天领域。
这种类型的打印机使用激光和可移动的镜子来引导一个小光点。紫外线激光聚焦在哪里都会使树脂硬化，因此可以快速绘制每一层。
SLA 打印机可以采用倒置倒置设计，模型看起来像是从树脂槽中拉出来的，但它们也可以采用直立设计，当每一层完成时，平台会降低到树脂槽中。
SLA 打印机通常会产生非常光滑的表面并提供高精度的详细打印。
DLP：数字光处理
您之前可能听说过与投影仪技术相关的术语“ DLP ”，这确实是这里的联系。DLP树脂打印机使用与(DLP)DLP 投影仪投影(projectors)图像相同的数字微镜技术。
在这种情况下，DLP投影用于一次固化一整层树脂，这使得DLP打印机比SLA模型快一点，后者一次只固化一个点。
DLP树脂打印机也以漂亮的光滑表面而闻名，但大打印区域可能无法显示与基于激光的(DLP)SLA机器相同的清晰和准确的细节。
LCD：液晶显示树脂打印机(Liquid Crystal Display Resin Printers)
这些打印机使用带有 UV 背光的单色LCD 面板(LCD panel)来固化每一层。LCD面板本质上是通过选择性地阻挡光线或让它通过来充当掩模。这是对成熟且广为人知的LCD技术的巧妙运用，并大幅降低了树脂打印机的成本。您今天可以购买的大多数经济实惠的树脂打印机都使用LCD技术。
LCD树脂打印机比SLA机器速度更快，并且比(SLA)DLP打印机更准确，后者可能会出现失真。LCD打印机的缺点是它们的使用寿命比上述技术短，并且需要更多的维护。
树脂打印机的优缺点
那么为什么你应该（或者你不应该）购买树脂打印机而不是更传统的FDM机器呢？
在等式的积极方面：
- 树脂打印机提供更详细和流畅的模型。
- 树脂(Resin)印刷品不需要大量的印后整理即可看起来不错。
- 它们比 FDM 机器更快。
- 树脂(Resin)模型通常更坚固、更有弹性。
在等式的反面：
- 树脂(Resin)印刷总体上更贵。
- 它更混乱，需要更多的维护。
- 您需要准备一个安全的环境来打印和储存您的树脂。
- 树脂(Resin)打印机的平均打印体积较小。
- 未固化的树脂是有毒的，必须非常小心地处理。
任何潜在的树脂打印机所有者都必须为树脂打印的现实、危险、环境问题和维护负担做好充分准备，这一点很重要。花点时间观看一些YouTube视频，了解从头到尾的打印过程。
谁应该购买树脂打印机？
桌面树脂打印机的主要市场是需要制作小型、精细模型的人。例如，如果您想为桌面游戏或复杂的 3D 珠宝制作详细的作品，树脂打印机可能是一个不错的选择。如果您是使用Zbrush等软件的 3D 雕塑家，那么只有树脂打印机才能为您制作精细的模型。
完全可以给树脂模型上漆，尽管您需要遵循一个漫长的过程来准备树脂表面以保持油漆。如果您不需要树脂打印的细节和质量，那么您最好选择FDM 3D打印机。您还可以通过使用打磨等技术来提高FDM打印质量，以获得更光滑的模型表面。
3D 树脂打印机建议
随着时间的推移，市场上有越来越多的树脂打印机选择，但只有一两个选择脱颖而出。
首先是Elegoo Mars 2 ，它是一款具有 2K 分辨率的 UV 树脂LCD打印机。(LCD)它具有快速固化系统，并使用寿命比平常更长的LCD面板。(LCD)它还采取了一些措施来使树脂印刷更安全、更不凌乱，例如一次性树脂桶和硅胶密封件，以抑制不需要的气味和泄漏。亚马逊(Amazon)上有超过 2500 条评论和 4.5 星的平均评分，这似乎是物超所值的入门级选择。
AnyCubic Photon Mono X也引起了我们的注意，它是一种更高端（也更昂贵）的选择。更高的要价为您带来更大、更高分辨率的LCD面板和令人印象深刻的构建体积，至少就树脂打印机而言。
当然，您应该根据自己的具体需求进行自己的研究，但根据客户评论及其规格，这两款打印机是一个很好的起点。
What Is a Resin 3D Printer and Should You Buy One?
Homе 3D printers have now been on the market for many years and are affordable to anyone who wants one. They’ve grown from a hobbyist curiosity to useful tools that can help you fix small problems around the home, create art pieces or help you prototype parts for projects. The uses for a 3D printer are only limited by your imagination!
Now, however, an entirely different type of 3D printer is entering the home market. These “resin” 3D printers use very different principles to create 3D objects compared to the ones you may have seen thus far. What is a 3D resin printer and should you buy one over the more traditional models already out there?
A Recap of Conventional 3D Printers
If you want to have an in-depth explanation of how 3D printers work, check out HDG Explains : How Does 3D Printing Work? If you don’t have the time for that, here’s the short version.
What most people think of as a “3D printer” is actually something called an FDM (fused deposition modelling) printer. It runs a filament of material (usually plastic) through a hot extruder head and then deposits precise layers of the material to slowly build up the model.
The most common FDM machine is the “Cartesian” type of 3D printer. This has a print head mounted on movable rails that can put the tip of the head precisely at any XYZ coordinate within the build volume of the printer.
Whatever type of FDM printer you’re looking at, it’s the layered extrusion of filament material that’s shared among them all. Resin printers are fundamentally different in this regard.
Resin 3D Printers Explained
Resin 3D printers differ in a few fundamental ways from FDM printers. First, the material is a liquid resin rather than a spool of filament. This liquid is kept in a reservoir.
The resin printer still uses a build platform for the model that’s being printed, but it’s usually upside down. The platform is lifted out of the resin vat as each layer is formed. The resin itself is light-sensitive and cures when exposed to the right type of light.
A precision light source is used to form each layer on top of the previous one until the entire finished model has been pulled from the vat. It certainly looks much more futuristic than FDM printing!
Types of Resin Printer: SLA, DLP & LCD Technology
While all resin printers use the basic principle of curing photosensitive resin with a light source, they don’t all do it in the same way. There are in fact three major subtypes of 3D resin printers.
SLA: Stereolithography
SLA is actually the original 3D printing technology and has a long history in engineering, especially in aerospace.
This type of printer uses a laser and movable mirrors to direct a small point of light. Wherever the ultraviolet laser is focused will harden the resin, so each layer can be rapidly drawn.
SLA printers can have the upside-down inverted design, where the model looks like it is pulled up out of the tank, but they can also have an upright design where the platform is lowered into the tank of resin as each layer is completed.
SLA printers generally produce very smooth surfaces and offer high-precision detailed prints.
DLP: Digital Light Processing
You may have heard the term “DLP” in relation to projector technology before and that is indeed the connection here. DLP resin printers use the same digital micromirror technology that DLP projectors use to project images.
In this case, the DLP projection is used to cure an entire layer of resin at a time, which makes DLP printers a little faster than SLA models, which only cure one point at a time.
DLP resin printers are also known for nice smooth surfaces, but large print areas might not show the same sharp and accurate detail as laser-based SLA machines.
LCD: Liquid Crystal Display Resin Printers
These printers use a monochrome LCD panel with a UV backlight to cure each layer. The LCD panel essentially acts as a mask by selectively blocking out light or letting it pass. This is a clever use of mature and well-understood LCD technology and has driven the cost of resin printers down dramatically. Most of the affordable resin printers that you can buy today use LCD technology.
LCD resin printers are faster than SLA machines and more accurate than DLP printers, which can exhibit distortion. The downside of LCD printers is that they have a shorter lifespan than the aforementioned technologies and they need more maintenance.
The Pros and Cons of Resin Printers
So why should you (or should you not) buy a resin printer over the more conventional FDM machines?
On the positive side of the equation:
- Resin printers offer much more detailed and smooth models.
- Resin prints don’t require extensive post-print finishing to look good.
- They are faster than FDM machines.
- Resin models are generally stronger and more resilient.
On the negative side of the equation:
- Resin printing is more expensive overall.
- It’s messier and requires more maintenance.
- You need to prepare a safe environment to print in and store your resin.
- Resin printers have smaller build volumes on average.
- Uncured resin is toxic and has to be handled with significant care.
It’s important that any prospective resin printer owner be entirely prepared for the reality of resin printing, the dangers, environmental issues and maintenance burden. Take the time to watch a few YouTube videos to see the printing process from start to finish.
Who Should Buy a Resin Printer?
The main market for desktop resin printers is people who need to make small, finely detailed models. For example, if you want to create detailed pieces for tabletop gaming or intricate 3D jewelry, a resin printer might be a good option. If you are a 3D sculptor using software such as Zbrush, only a resin printer is going to do your finely detailed models any justice.
It is entirely possible to paint resin models, although you need to follow a lengthy process of preparing the resin surface to hold paint. If you don’t need the detail and quality of resin prints, then you’re far better off opting for an FDM 3D printer. You can also improve your FDM print finish quality by using techniques such as sanding, for a smoother model surface.
3D Resin Printer Recommendations
There are more and more resin printer choices on the market as time goes by, but one or two options stand out.
First, there’s the Elegoo Mars 2, which is a UV resin LCD printer with a 2K resolution. It has a fast-curing system, and uses an LCD panel with a longer lifespan than usual. It also has several measures in place to make resin printing safer and less messy, such as a disposable resin vat and silicone seals to curb unwanted smells and leakage. With over 2500 reviews and a 4.5-star average on Amazon, it seems like a great entry-level choice for the money.
The AnyCubic Photon Mono X also caught our eye as a much more high-end (and costly) option. The substantially higher asking price nets you a larger, higher-resolution LCD panel and an impressive build volume, at least as far as resin printers go.
Of course, you should do your own research according to your specific needs, but based on customer reviews and their specifications, these two printers are a great place to start.
