Find the most suitable 3D printer for your needs.
We guide you to find the best option according to your needs.
Find the most suitable 3D scanner for your needs.
Contact us and we'll get it for you.
Find the most suitable filament for each application.
Find the most suitable resin for each application.
Find the most suitable powder for each application.
Find the most suitable pellets for each application.
Find the accessory you need for your 3D printer.
Find the ideal accessories for your 3D prints.
Do you need more than 0 units? Please, contact us.
Product temporarily out of stock with these characteristics. Select another combination.
We notify you when it will be available:
Tough Resins - FormLabs
Tough resins are part of the FormLabs family of Engineering Resins; a set of resins developed to solve the most complex engineering challenges thanks to the wide variety of functional materials.
The Tough Resins offered by FormLabs for their Form 2, Form 3 and Form 3L are:
Tough 1500 (Functional prototypes)
Tough 2000 (Strong and rigid prototypes)
The Tough 1500 resin is the most resilient material within the family of specific resins for the engineering field of the Formlabs company, so it is worth highlighting its ability to recover its original shape after ever being a bending force.
FormLabs' range of Engineering resins include Durable Resin and Tough Resin. Tough 1500 resin has been created in response to the search for a rigid and flexible material, resistant and with high resistance to impact.
When comparing Tough 1500 resin with Durable Resin and Tough Resin, we can see that it shares a series of characteristics with them:
The properties of Tough 1500 resin are similar to those of polypropylene (PP), a thermoplastic polymer that has high impact resistance and rigidity; and that it is widely used in the Industrial sector.
Thanks to its mechanical properties and good print resolution (supports 100 and 50 micron resolutions), Tough 1500 resin is suitable for manufacturing rigid parts with high impact resistance; that after bending they can return to their original state quickly even after repeated use. It is very useful in the manufacture of prototypes and functional assemblies, hinges, guides, fixings, etc.
Furthermore, this resin is certified for safe skin contact according to ISO 10993-1:
The properties of Tough 1500 resin and its certification for skin contact make this resin an ideal material for prolonged skin contact applications such as wearable devices, personal protective equipment and other consumer goods.
In the event that parts made with Tough 1500 resin must be certified for skin contact, the user must follow the Tough 1500 resin post-processing conditions to the letter.
Tough 2000 resin is a strong and rigid material within the range of Formlabs company Tough and Durable engineering resins. As its name indicates, 2000 is the figure corresponding to the tensile modulus of this material (2000 MPa).
This resin, part of the reformulation of the Tough resin, for which different aspects have been taken into account. Tough 2000 resin has improved mechanical properties, including:
Thus, Tough 2000 resin is less brittle and more rigid and strong than Tough resin.In addition, the Tough 2000 resin changes from the translucent blue color of the Tough resin to a gray shade for a great finish and a professional look.
The modifications regarding the Tough resin can be seen below:
Tough 2000 resin simulates the properties of ABS; a material widely used in the industrial field for its high mechanical properties.
Thanks to its improved mechanical properties and good print resolution (supports 100 and 50 micron resolutions), Tough 2000 resin is suitable for a wide variety of applications in fields such as engineering. It is an ideal material for the manufacture of prototypes subject to wear, mechanical connectors, housings, etc.
Thanks to Tough 1500, Tough 2000 and other FormLabs engineering resins, costs can be reduced and quality prototypes and final parts can be made very quickly.
Below, a series of usage tips are cited that must be taken into account at all times with the use of FormLabs resins:
Changing the resin cartridge of the FormLabs printers is very simple, just close the top cap of the ventilation duct (vent) and remove the cartridge by holding it by the handle it has. Then the other is inserted and the vent plug is opened in case an impression is to be started. To avoid drips through the 3D printer, this process must always be carried out with the resin tank mounted.
After finishing each impression the vent plug must be closed so that the resin maintains its properties. In addition, if you don't use the printer for some time, you should keep the cartridge in its original box to keep the properties of the resin intact.
Each type of resin must have its resin tank, which must be changed after using 2L of resin. FormLabs has developed a more powerful tank, the Resin Tank LT, which has a life up to 20 times longer than the standard tank.
To protect and store the excess resin in the tank after each printing, FormLabs supplies a lid that ensures a perfect closure. Once the tank is closed, it is recommended to store it (with resin and lid) in the original box so that the resin doesn't lose its properties when exposed to UV rays for a long time. Another point to keep in mind is that the tanks can't be cleaned with any cleaning product or similar (for example, isopopyl alcohol), since they lose certain qualities that can cause continuous failed impressions.
When an error occurs in printing may be because solid parts of a previous printing have fallen to the resin tank. In this case, a spatula at 45° must be passed through the printing tank, gathering all the solid parts in a corner and removing them. To ensure that the tank resin doesn't contain any solid parts, the resin should be cast with a 190 μm paper filter. Once cast, it is put back into the tank and it is ready to be used again.
Isopropyl alcohol is the key to the washing and post-processing of parts and you should know when it is time to change it. In the Finish Kit the moment to change it's when the IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) is so saturated with resin particles, that after washing the pieces are still sticky. At that point you must remove all the liquid, clean the container well and throw new IPA, but never fill in on the previous one.
In the Form Wash, the wash center itself indicates through its screen when it is time to change the isopropyl alcohol.
If you wish you can contract our SLA 3D printing training courses (online or in person) by contacting us through the contact form. The training is oriented to obtain a wide knowledge and know how to use the 3D SLA FormLabs printers from the beginning and t.hus avoid major errors.
Engineering resins perfect to make functional, resistant and rigid prototypes.