Castable Resins: Secrets to Perfect Prints

There are several useful and, above all, necessary steps to obtain perfect 3D prints with castable resins for jewelry. Let's learn together.
First of all, it must be said that printing castable resins is inherently more difficult than printing with generic resins. The more castable resins contain polymers that simulate the behavior of waxes, the more viscous they are and the softer and more delicate the printed models become. At the same time, polymeric resins require fewer post-print treatments and perform better than monomeric ones (low cost and suspected toxicity).
Let's now look in detail at the main steps necessary to obtain perfect prints in jewelry and dentistry.

Taking Care of the Printer.

Ensure that the castable resin tank is in perfect condition. Check that the film of the tank is in good condition and, above all, of adequate thickness and quality for prints with fine details. PFA sheets with thicknesses of less than 127 microns are excellent. Excessive thicknesses make peeling difficult and can cause cracks or defects in the print.

Leveling and rectification of the printing platform. It can happen, especially with the cheaper LCD printers (which are still excellent), that the construction platforms are not perfectly rectified. It is advisable to sand them and check that they are absolutely planar. Furthermore, it is good to carry out an accurate calibration of the Z0, as dental and jewelry prints are usually small in size and therefore their supports have a limited contact area with the platform.

Heat the castable resins before printing and print in heated environments. In general, it is good practice to heat any resin before printing to reduce its viscosity. This is even more important for castable resins, in order to obtain maximum detail.

Mix the castable resins thoroughly. All resins are a compound of different technopolymers and, although emulsifying and anti-caking agents are used, it is good to mix the castable resins so that they are homogeneous and can fully express their performance, both during printing and subsequently during casting.

Filter the castable resins. If you suspect the presence of failed prints and therefore debris inside the tank, it is good to filter the entire contents to avoid damage to the printer or problems with adhesion to the platform.

Lubricate the mechanical parts adequately. To prevent the Z axis from deteriorating and wearing out, causing printing defects, it is good to periodically lubricate the Z axis screw and the linear guides with silicone or lithium grease.

Quality Files for Top Prints

Take care of and verify the STL files. STL files are not always suitable or ready for printing and can hide errors that compromise their printability (unclosed surfaces, unjoined parts, non-uniform face orientation). There are various software for checking and correcting files, including the native Windows one, 3D Builder, which offers good performance. Its use is strongly recommended to avoid hidden problems that could lead to wasting castable resins.

Supports: the key to success. Supports are not only indispensable, but their correct positioning can make the difference between a perfect print with castable resins and a resounding failure. It is advisable to consult our support guide or visit our YouTube channel.

The pitfalls of the print file. All slicing software can introduce errors, therefore, before starting to print our jewelry or dental devices, it is good to double-check the files and check all the layers.

These are the fundamental steps to use and correctly print castable resins.
Happy printing everyone!