Resin Additive FAQ
3D Printing Resin Additive FAQ
"Why should I read this FAQ, can't I just dump mica powder in my vat and get out a sparkly print?"
Well yeah, you can. but do you want to know how to get the best possible sparkly print? How about prints that smell like candy?
If you want to know how to add fun stuff, read below!
I've been adding stuff to my resin since early 2018, and as far as I can tell, I was the first person to do so and document the results. Way way back, I googled "glitter resin for SLA prints" and the only thing that came up was a 2014 or 2014 April fool's day article from formlabs showing the famous 'rook' print rolled in chunky glitter.
It's not what I was after. I wanted resin WITH glitter and shimmer in it like you could do with poured resin.
So i took one of my PDMS vats that was at the end of it's life and dumped a about 3 table spoons of mylar chunky "unicorn" glitter into some clear resin. I fully expected it to not work. Would the reflective particles screw with the laser? (I was printing with a Peopoly Moai at the time, which uses a laser rather than UV light and a masked screen) Would the chunky glitter stick out of the model?- yeah it did, but the parts that stuck IN the model looked super cool.
I Rapidly moved on to mica powder, ultra fine glitter, dye, and other "additives" within the next few weeks refining and testing. I figured out what works best, what doesnt work, and how to get the most bang for your buck on additives. I've got thousands of print hours, and gallons upon gallons of resin worth of testing done so you don't have to.
Well yeah, you can. but do you want to know how to get the best possible sparkly print? How about prints that smell like candy?
If you want to know how to add fun stuff, read below!
I've been adding stuff to my resin since early 2018, and as far as I can tell, I was the first person to do so and document the results. Way way back, I googled "glitter resin for SLA prints" and the only thing that came up was a 2014 or 2014 April fool's day article from formlabs showing the famous 'rook' print rolled in chunky glitter.
It's not what I was after. I wanted resin WITH glitter and shimmer in it like you could do with poured resin.
So i took one of my PDMS vats that was at the end of it's life and dumped a about 3 table spoons of mylar chunky "unicorn" glitter into some clear resin. I fully expected it to not work. Would the reflective particles screw with the laser? (I was printing with a Peopoly Moai at the time, which uses a laser rather than UV light and a masked screen) Would the chunky glitter stick out of the model?- yeah it did, but the parts that stuck IN the model looked super cool.
I Rapidly moved on to mica powder, ultra fine glitter, dye, and other "additives" within the next few weeks refining and testing. I figured out what works best, what doesnt work, and how to get the most bang for your buck on additives. I've got thousands of print hours, and gallons upon gallons of resin worth of testing done so you don't have to.
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Q: What are you talking about when you say "resin additives"?
A: Resin Additives are Mica Powder (ultra fine mineral or synthetic based pigmented powder that generally has a metallic or pearl/shimmery finish. Commonly used in makeup/nail art, poured resin art, painting and other artistic ventures), Pigment Powders (which are usually pure pigment and *may* be slightly shimmery but are less so than mica. These are some times subbed/mislabeled as mica), Glitter, Dyes (in powder or liquid forms) & Scents Q: What sort of resin do I need to use additives like mica and glitter? A: Thicker, more viscous resin work better but almost all resin will work with some level of additives. Thicker resins will keep suspension longer. Q: Clear or opaque resin? A: Both! Clear resins, or transparent resins tinted with dye or pigment will give you the most visual bang for your buck when it comes to mica and glitter. Opaque resins take on an almost velvet like finish and shimmer when using mica powders. Q: What size glitter can I use? A: Finer/smaller is better, especially on machines that don't have tilting vat or wiper function to agitate the resin and keep things mixed between layers. That being said, you can use larger glitter. The larger/ more dense your particles, the faster they will settle out though. so keep that in mind when looking for candidates. Q: What dye can I use? A: You want to look for dye specifically formulated for 3D printing resin (monocure and some other companies have CMYK kits) OR Epoxy dye that specifically list "non toxic" or "alcohol free" Powder based pigments also work, though you want to be careful with these as you can overload your resin. They work similar to mica powders, which on their own contain pigmentation. Pigment pastes like UVO by smoothon, or similar polyurethane pigments (eyecandy, alumite) also work extremely well and have the added benefit of being UV stable which helps prevent color bleaching. Q: Scents???? A: Yes! scents for candle making, food and those formulated for epoxy resins work well. The food and candle safe scents tend to need more than those formulated for epoxy. Q: Wont the glitter/mica ruin my FEP?!? A: Yes and no. so long as you are sticking to mica powders and flat faced glitter (glitter that has a flat surface face on both sides, rather than 3D glitters or sequins) your FEP should stay hole/tear free under normal printing conditions. That being said, the added particles do cause mild abrasion and will wear down your FEP slightly faster than just resin alone. The main concern comes with the particles wedging them selves under the edge of the VAT where the FEP is pulled tight. Over time this build up may cause the FEP to tear or stretch slightly where the fep and outer vat edges meet. Consider using a separate vat for normal resin and additive resins. |
Q: What machine type can I use additives in? Does glitter cause SLA lasers to refract/reflect?
A: You can use most currently available consumer resin machines. LCD based machines like Elegoo Mars/Saturn, Anycubic Photon, Prusa SL1, Creality LD-002r, etc will all work. As will laser based machines like the Peopoly Moai and Form Labs Form(1/2) (both these machines have vat agitation). With the latter two machines, the mica and most glitter, even larger size particles, have had no real effect on the laser path in my personal experience and testing. Q: How do I clean out my vat after using mica/glitter? A: Use a plastic scraper (preferably the one provided with your machine or similar) to remove as much excess resin from your vat first. wipe out your pour corner with a paper towel. pour in a small amount of isopropyl alcohol (70% or higher), enough to swish, move around your FEP. use a silicone spatula or squeegee to scrape/push and residual particles/goop out of your corners, and along the vat edges. swishing/swirling the isopropyl around as you work. Wipe out with paper towel. Repeat as needed. Q: Do temps effect additives? A: while it wont directly effect the additives (unless you're using something like heat reactive dye or powders for color shifting) temp does change how vicious resins are which will indirectly effect the way the additives settle/mix (except for liquid dyes). however, you should always follow your recommended printing temps for your resins. Q: Do specific layer heights work better than others with additives A: because of how the particle additives settle and print your specific layer height wont effect things too much in terms of visibility for things like mica. Larger particle sizes may have less "clipping" with thicker layers though. Q: Do you need to adjust print time with dye/pigment additives? A: This will depend on the additive, and your base resin. Taking a clear to a dark blue/or black would need an increase in time to compensate for the shift in resin transparency. You may also need to increase your times if you have over-saturated the resin with powder/glitter enough to change its viscosity. I generally recommend doing a small test print with your newly created concoction to get your timings right. Q: Does the dye stain or effect the FEP? A: Not that I've seen. A lot of resins already come with pigment added (either in a liquid or powdered form) and the added epoxy dye doesn't seem to effect the FEP any more so than the dyes in the manufacture resin. This also holds true for the pigment added from mica powders. You will likely need to change out your FEP from natural wear and tear before you see any noticeable staining. Q: I tried a print with mica but it only shows up on the bottom or the top of the print (when viewed from above or below) why? A: because of how resin printers work, the mica and some smaller glitter is only visible on the layer's horizontal surface. This is the part of the layer that was touching the vat when it was cured. becuase of this, how your part is oriented in relation to the vat/print bed affects how visible your mica is. You can see examples of print orientations Here |
Resin printing tools
Tools, must have extras and goodies
Resin Tool Must Haves
Resin Safe Pigments
Mica & Glitter Resources:
Solar Color Dust
Arteza
Resin Tool Must Haves
Resin Safe Pigments
Mica & Glitter Resources:
Solar Color Dust
Arteza
BJD Gel Nails (2016, old)
BJD Gel Nails (2017, new)