Buyer's Guide: How to Choose the Right Resin for 3D Printing

Are you still confused by so many types of resins? Those who are new to desktop resin printers will inevitably not find the right resin, and wonder why it can't be simpler. Due to different needs, manufacturers develop various kinds of resins for users to meet their 3D projects. Once you find the resin that meets your expectations and master how to it, it will be a further leap forward in your SLA 3D printing.

There is no denying the fact that resin 3d printers have a great performance on 3D prints with intricate details and high accuracy, compared with FDM another popular 3D printing technology. (Is FDM or SLA better?) Specifically, they have wide Applicationss such as animation, engineering, dental, jewelry and other fields.

Indeed, resin for SLA printers is a very magical material, which can be found in many different states. Before curing, it flows as a liquid in vats. After solidifying, its characteristic will change according to the hardness. For example, it can be as soft and flexible as gels and rubbers, but it can also be as rigid as a hard hat at construction sites.

This article lets's understand how to choose the right resin for 3d printing according to the different properties of the uv resin from Anycubic, and their field of Applications. If you are a beginner, hopefully this list below will give you an answer. If you are a Pro, you can also find your own resin here.

UV Resin List:

• Standard Resin
• Plant-based UV Resin
• Water-Wash Resin
• ABS-Like Resin
• UV Tough Resin
• DLP Craftsman Resin
• High Clear Resin
• High Speed Resin
• ABS-Like Resin V2
• Resin Settings

As the best seller in Anycubic resin family, Standard Colored UV Resin, the best resin for beginners, is inexpensive and easy to use. Due to the classic formula, the printing success rate is high and the performance in many aspects is stable.

An upgraded formula based on the classic formula, Anycubic Standard Resin V2 is here. It makes the smell less strong, but also improves accuracy, toughness and adhesion for higher printing success rates. Moreover, there are up to seven color choices of the resin to meet the needs of users, including the most popular colors in the market, so try more colors!

Frankly speaking, it might be hard to achieve outstanding performance in a certain feature. This also explains the important reason why there is a need to produce resins with different properties.

Recommended Applications

• Animation, game-character models
• Architectural models
• Appearance prototypes
• Structural prototypes
• Tooling and fixtures (Standard Resin V2)
• Snap-fit components (Standard Resin V2)

Anycubic Plant-based UV Resin is the best Eco resin, the greenest and safest choice in the Anycubic resin collection. As we all know, UV resin is toxic to the human body and environment if mishandled. On the one hand, long-term direct contacting uncured resin without safety precautions will cause disease. On the other hand, the residual liquid resin contains pollutants that can be harmful to the environment. To change the problem in positive ways, Anycubic Plant-based UV Resin is launched to minimize the hazard, which is made from green and pure natural soybean extracts.

However, it is important to notice that the Eco resin is safer than many other resins, but not 100% safe. So we still suggest wearing gloves and masks, and maintaining indoor ventilation during printing to avoid skin allergy. And don't throw away any residual uncured resin if it's not fully cured.

Recommended Applications

• Someone sensitive to resin odor
• Animation, game-character models
• Architectural models
• Appearance prototypes
• Structural prototypes

If you're looking for a user-friendly resin or your workshop doesn't allow to use of isopropyl alcohol that is somewhat dangerous, Anycubic Water-Wash Resin+ you should try it. In the Anycubic UV resin family, it is the only resin that can be cleaned with water instead of IPA, because of hydrophilic groups in the formula for better solidification with water. This means that you can save your budget on IPA as well as time spent on cleaning 3d prints. What's more, fast printing is another feature, thanks to the low viscosity of the resin. To be specific, low viscosity makes it has great fluidity and requires shorter exposure time during printing, which helps to improve printing speed.

Water-washable resin benefits from water, but water also can break your 3d models. Thus, make sure your cleaning method, curing time and storage conditions are appropriate. If you don't dry them before curing, the surface of the model is easy to be brittle. And soaking in water for too long also can cause cracks. For storage conditions, whether to save unused resins or finished models, keep them away from water and humid space as much as possible. Water-washable resin loves water more than any resin.

Last but not least, being washable doesn't mean being safe. The residual liquid contains hazardous material that will pollute the environment, so do not pour it directly into the sewer, and it should be treated by fully curing or heating to evaporate the water.

Recommended Applications

• Someplace without IPA
• Animation, game-character models
• Architectural models
• Appearance prototypes
• Rapid prototype models

When we print some functional parts that require to be bent or rubbed repeatedly, so we need the resin that has mechanical properties to make 3d prints more durable and not easy to break. At this point, general resins seem to be unable to meet this demand. Here Anycubic ABS-Like Resin+ has what it takes to handle it. It is an industrial-grade resin in Anycubic resin family, because PUA (polyurethane acrylate) is added to the formula, and Anycubic ABS-Like Resin+ obtains the perfect balance between tensile strength and toughness.

Anycubic ABS-Like Resin Pro 2 upgrades the formula on the basis of ABS-Like Resin+ to enhance mechanical strength. The ABS-Like Resin Pro 2's elongation at break can reach 35%-40%, which is astonishingly 114% higher than the ABS-Like Resin+. withstanding repeated bending, hole drilling and dropping without crack.

Recommended Applications

• Animation, game-character models
• Architectural models
• Appearance prototypes
• Structural castings
• Stressed structure
• Buckle, jig parts

Similar to ABS-Like Resin Pro, Anycubic UV Tough Resin possesses mechanical properties that enhance the durability of 3d prints, making them not easy to break when falling or bending. Not only does UV Tough Resin feature high impact resistance, but it also shows a low shrinkage rate, ensuring better preservation of model dimensions after curing.

Compared to the performance of toughness and resilience, ABS-Like Resin Pro outperforms UV Tough Resin. However, due to its lower viscosity, UV Tough Resin allows for faster printing and easier cleaning compared to ABS-Like Resin Pro.

Recommended Applications

• Animation, game-character models
• Architectural models
• Appearance prototypes
• Structural castings
• Stressed structure
• Buckle, jig parts

In comparison to UV Tough Resin, the most notable improvements and upgrades in Tough Resin Ultra are minimized odor, enhanced bending resistance, and increased hardness. Therefore, it can be used to create wearable 3D prints such as masks, glasses, and helmets for cosplay. It can also serve as an additive, enhancing the resilience and durability when applied to easily brittle resins.

Recommended Applications

• Flexibility Additive
• Animation, game-character models
• Snap-fit structures like ball joints
• Wearable parts

When it comes to DLP and LCD-based SLA 3D printing, are you still confused about them? If you're a serious hobbyist who has a high requirement for precision and details but on a limited budget, look into the affordable and high-accuracy Anycubic Photon D2, and you will achieve the next level of 3d printing with Anycubic DLP Craftsman Resin which is developed to take full advantage of its high-precision printing.

When discussing 3D printing, most people focus on the resolution of 3D printer. But experienced makers know that the materials used are as important as the printer in order to make the final results look fine. Thus, DLP printing deserves better resin. They are used in the dental, jewelry, and engineering industries to print detailed objects like miniatures or jewelry.

In addition, magical power of Anycubic DLP Craftsman Resin is ceramic powder applied to scatter the light inside during printing, so that the resin will strongly react to the light and layers' texture will be effectively decreased on the surface.

Recommended Applications

• Animation and game figure models with fine details
• Animation, game-character models
• Jewelry prototypes
• Precise architectural models
• High precision parts

Anycubic High Clear Resin is a high-quality, crystal-clear casting resin that is perfect for creating transparent parts like architectural models, eyewear, decorative lamps and other art pieces. Compared to clear standard resin, it offers superior UV resistance, helping to prevent yellowing over time when properly post-processed. Additionally, its upgraded formula enhances resilience, resulting in tougher and more durable finished prints.

Transparent 3D printing with Anycubic High Clear Resin can make your 3D prints clear like glass, but it requires post-processing steps such as resin polishing. Here's an article for more information on Anycubic High Clear Resin User Guideline, for example, detailed slicer settings and how to post-process for a crystal and clear look.

Recommended Applications

• Animation, game-character models
• Architectural models
• Appearance prototypes
• Structural prototypes

High Speed Resin is specifically designed for Anycubic Photon Mono M5s, and its low viscosity and high activity significantly shorten the exposure time and the light-off delay time, enabling Photon Mono M5s to reach 3 times faster printing speed. When printing with Photon Mono M5s and High Speed Resin in combination, along with Photon Workshop 3.1 (or a higher version) for slicing the model with a layer thickness of 0.1mm and hollowing and punching with 2mm, you can achieve a printing speed that is three times faster.

The key feature of this resin is its low viscosity, allowing for fast resin flow and easy peeling from the film. Moreover, the low viscosity makes cleaning with IPA easier and reduces cleaning time. High Speed Resin is developed to offer fast printing capabilities and a user-friendly experience.

Recommended Applications

• Printing with Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
• Ultra-rapid prototyping
• Large-scale cosplay props

Combining the advantages of Water-Wash Resin+ and ABS-Like Resin, Anycubic ABS-Like Resin V2 is born. It features low odor and low viscosity while enhancing mechanical performance, allowing for faster print speed, easier cleaning, and reduced crack issues.

Printed with ABS-Like Resin V2, the part shows outstanding resistance and toughness, with a flexural strength ranging from 40 to 50MPa and an elongation at break of 30 to 40%.

As ABS-Like Resin V2's formulation contains hydrophilic group, you can clean the printed objects with water instead of alcohol. However, it's important to note that ABS-Like Resin V2 loves moisture, so the cleaning time should not exceed 30 minutes. After cleaning, promptly dry and cure them to prevent swelling and cracking. What's more, do not pour wastewater directly into the drain and ensure complete curing of waste resin before disposal.

Recommended Applications

• Someplace without IPA
• Animation, game-character models
• Structural castings
• Stressed structure
• Rapid prototype models
• Tooling and fixtures

Even if you choose a resin that is right for you, but you have the wrong slicer settings for resin 3D printing, it may cause the print to fail, or the result is not ideal. These settings include several parameters such as layer height, exposure time, light-off time, bottom exposure time, lifting distance, lifting speed, etc. They will more or less affect the final result. Of course, we also have Resin Settings for Anycubic Photon Series 3D Printer for reference.

View or download Anycubic resin's Material Safety Data Sheet.