I have been resin 3D printing for almost 2 years now and here are a few of the bits of kit which I have found to be invaluable.
Plastic Razor Blade Scrapers
Nothing gets a blob of resin off your LCD screen better than a plastic scraper. They don't damage the surface and they are cheaper than actual razor blades. You can also use them to pry your prints off the build plate and they are disposable so no need to clean them.
Once you have these, you will find they have a multitude of uses around the house for all those DIY projects that they were actually designed for.
Spare FEP film
You never want your printing to be sidelined by a dodgy FEP, so having a spare film is essential for when the inevitable happens. Changing out your FEP is just one of those skills you will need to master. Some say that you can tune your FEP for optimal performance, but I just use the German specification gudentight. I recommend buying from 3DJake.
Silicone Baking Tray
Resin 3D printing is a messy affair, particularly when you are extracting your prints from the build plate. It is hard to not drip uncured resin onto your table, so I use a silicone baking sheet as a table protector.
Nothing sticks to silicone and these mats are super easy to clean and so cheap that you can cover an entire table in the things and still have change from a tenner (£10).
PTFE Lubricant (GT85)
Every now and then you will suffer from a print that just wants to stick to the FEP rather than where it is supposed to stick, the build plate. The best thing I have found to combat this is to give your FEP a good spray with GT85 and a gentle rub down. This creates a microscopic PTFE layer on the surface of your FEP guaranteeing that the print will release when the build plate rises.
Everytime I change resin, change my FEP or just engage in a spot of cleaning, I give my FEP a liberal coat and then buff it dry. GT85 will change your success rate instantly, no more failed prints, bits stuck to the FEB or layer peeling.
Plastic Funnels & Conical Paint Filters
Trying to pour your unused resin back into the bottle is a nightmare task made tolerable with the use of a funnel. Get some conical paint filters to strain out any bits of cured resin and your life will be so much easier and less messy.
The pound store is your best bet for funnels. You can get a bunch of filters for pennies at the usual online retailers like eBay or Amazon. A big shout out to Jayo3D who pack 2 or 3 filters in with their 1Kg bottles of resin.
Two Wash & Cure Station Tanks
It wasn't long into my resin 3D printing journey before my wash tank looked like a winter's morning. This occurs when the uncured resin suspended in your IPA cures and fall to the bottom of the tank making an amorphous plastic blancmange. Honestly, this stuff is horrendous to deal with, so having a second wash tank that you can decant into and clean your IPA is a must. I have found that running a few curing cycles on an empty tank can work wonders.
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