Do your prints improve when you warm up the workspace?

[MajorCipher]

I’m starting to think temperature plays a way bigger role in resin printing than I used to believe. My setup’s in my garage here in Michigan, and lately the prints have been acting up like layers separating, supports not bonding as well, and that weird tacky finish that never used to happen. When the space heater’s on, prints come out smooth again.

Is it just because colder resin thickens up and doesn’t cure evenly, or is the cooler air messing with layer bonding altogether? I’m tempted to try keeping the resin warm somehow, but I don’t want to overheat it and ruin a whole batch. How warm do you guys keep your printing setup in cooler weather?

 

[Magicniner]

Resin printing is a light activated chemical reaction, if your resin is cooler your layer exposure times will need to be longer and the cure may still be less complete at the interface with the cold resin.
Preheat your resin to the manufacturers recommended printing temperature.

 

[Robr0y]

I’m starting to think temperature plays a way bigger role in resin printing than I used to believe. My setup’s in my garage here in Michigan, and lately the prints have been acting up like layers separating, supports not bonding as well, and that weird tacky finish that never used to happen. When the space heater’s on, prints come out smooth again.

Is it just because colder resin thickens up and doesn’t cure evenly, or is the cooler air messing with layer bonding altogether? I’m tempted to try keeping the resin warm somehow, but I don’t want to overheat it and ruin a whole batch. How warm do you guys keep your printing setup in cooler weather?

Yes, warming your workspace will improve your prints, cold temperatures cause resin to become thicker, which can lead to layer separation, poor adhesion, and a tacky surface. keep your workspace warm, but be careful not to overheat the resin, which can damage it. The goal is a consistent temperature, not a high one.

 

[Chapman_Armor]

Yeah the cold absolutely throws resin off. Mine gets thick and slow when the garage drops and the prints look rough right away. I found that keeping the room somewhere in the mid-60s makes things behave way more predictably. Nothing fancy, just a little space heater pointed away from the printer.

 

[Magicniner]

If you find the data sheet for your resin the manufacturer usually gives recommended temperatures for use.
I use a Brew Bin heater band on my resin vat (it's a metal vat), this keeps the resin adequately warm and also keeps the temperature above ambient in the printer enclosure, I will be adding a thermostatic temperature controller at some point.
I use a mains powered mug heater with a water bath (stainless pet food bowl) to pre heat resin in the bottle before filling the vat.

 

[Magicniner]

Yes, warming your workspace will improve your prints, cold temperatures cause resin to become thicker, which can lead to layer separation, poor adhesion, and a tacky surface. keep your workspace warm, but be careful not to overheat the resin, which can damage it. The goal is a consistent temperature, not a high one.

The resin does become thicker when colder, but keep in mind that the Ultra Violet exposure triggers a Chemical Reaction in the resin and this is slower and less efficient as temperatures get lower.

 

[Alan]

Cold resin definitely thickens and that can throw off layer bonding and curing consistency. Many people find stability once the resin and air stay within a narrow temperature window. Instead of blasting heat, gentle and steady warmth usually works better. Are you noticing failures right from the first layers or only later in the print?

 

[Magicniner]

Cold resin definitely thickens and that can throw off layer bonding and curing consistency. Many people find stability once the resin and air stay within a narrow temperature window. Instead of blasting heat, gentle and steady warmth usually works better. Are you noticing failures right from the first layers or only later in the print?

Curing is a light activated Chemical Reaction, lower temperatures slow down chemical reactions, at lower temperatures you need longer exposure times to compensate, reducing platform speeds deals with the increased viscosity.
Using the Manufacturer Recommended Resin Temperature makes a big difference, words like Gentle and Steady are meaningless in technical circumstances where there is access to Correct Data.

 

[MAK60]

The key to consistency in any process is to reduce variables.

 

[ep29030]

I started putting small heaters inside my resin cover and my consistency improved dramatically. I keep them at 32-33C for standard resins, and 37-39C for the high temperature deflection resins that are really viscous. I have 3 printers I use almost daily and normally have no printer trouble until it’s time for film changes. The heaters I use come from Amazon, about $50 each. They are small, but still fit inside my small printers (Anycubic Mono 4 Ultra). Here is the heater link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BL6WZPM9