Form 2/Form 3 Draft Resins (FormLabs)

Formlabs

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270,00 €
270,00 €

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Ultra-fast prints, up to 3-4 times faster than with a standard resin.

Resin Draft is the bet of Formlabs to obtain ultra fast prints, up to 3-4 times faster than with a standar resin. This resin is focused on product design and engineering, where it is essential to create prototypes to check their performance, geometry and appearance before making a final model.

The key point of the Resin Draft is that it is printed with a layer height three times greater than the other resins that Formlabs had up to now. This aspect may give rise to think that its surface finish will be neglected, but not at all. The surface finish of this resin in combination with Form 2Form 3 or Form 3L is of high quality, similar to the finish of standard resins and superior to most  FDM 3D printers.

Within the Draft resin, there are two models:

Draft Blue Resin

Draft Blue Resin maintains high precision values in the XY plane, which makes this resin ideal for printing flat pieces without high-caliber details on its surface. Since this resin can only be used with a layer height of 300 microns, curved areas or raised text will not be displayed with the same precision as with other resins.

Pieces printed with Resin Draft Blue

Image 1: Pieces printed with Resin Draft Blue. Source: Formlabs.

Thanks to its speed and surface finish, Draft Blue Resin is ideal for applications in large volume parts, parts that must be assembled orprototypes that require verification in record time. 

Draft Grey Resin

Draft Grey resin improves some properties over Draft Blue resin. In addition, its grey shade gives the printed pieces a professional appearance.

This formula allows for 3D printing in layers of 200 microns compared to 300 microns in the Draft Blue version. In this way, it allows a higher level of detail in the printed pieces without penalising the printing speed. The Grey Draft resin allows printing resolutions of 200 and 100 microns, and requires post-curing to achieve its optimum properties.

Thanks to Formlabs' advances, Draft Grey resin takes advantage of LFS technology to reduce support contact points, minimising post-processing times.

Part printed with Draft Gray resin and LFS technology.

Image 2: Part printed with Draft Gray resin and LFS technology. Source: Formlabs. 

Draft Grey resin has applications in various sectors, such as product design and dentistry.

In the product design sector, Draft Grey resin allows rapid prototyping. This is very useful in the early stages of the design process, where modifications and testing of various models are required in a short period of time.

In the dental industry, Draft Grey resin is a revolutionary material for the rapid production of orthodontic aligners and retainers. Draft Grey resin allows models to be quickly printed without sacrificing quality.

3D printed piece for the dental sector.

Image 3: 3D printed piece for the dental sector. Source: Formlabs.

Thus, the Draft Blue resin and the Draft Grey resin are very versatile and useful materials in those sectors that require speed and good finishes in their 3D printed pieces.

Impact strength (KJ/m2) 3.5
Elongation at break (%) 17
Tensile strength (MPa) 36
Tensile modulus (MPa) 1600
Flexural strength (MPa) 23
Flexural modulus (MPa) 1500
Softening temperature (ºC) 63
Sealing Sealing
Hide color variations (Hide color variations)

Below, a series of usage tips are cited that must be taken into account at all times with the use of FormLabs resins:

Change cartridge

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.

Vent plug FormLabs

Image 1: Vent plug of the FormLabs cartridges. Source: FormLabs

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.

Resin tank

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.

FormLabs Resin Tank LT

Image 2: FormLabs Resin Tank LT. Source: FormLabs

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.

FormLabs Resin Tank

Image 3: FormLabs Resin Tank. Source: FormLabs

Failed printing

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.

Video 1: Clean resin tank. Source: FormLabs

Isopropyl alcohol

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.

Finish Kit FormLabs

Image 4: Finish Kit FormLabs. Source: FormLabs

In the Form Wash, the wash center itself indicates through its screen when it is time to change the isopropyl alcohol.

Video 2: FormLabs Ecosystem. Source: FormLabs

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.

General information
Manufacturer FormLabs (Massachusetts, USA)
Technology  SLA / LFS
Material Photopolymer
Wavelength UV 405 nm
Format 1 liter
Color Blue, Grey
Compatible 3D printers Form 2, Form 3, Form 3L
Compatible resin tanks Form 2Form 2 LTForm 3
Print settings
Layer height Draft Blue: 300 micron
Draft Grey: 200 micron
Exposure Time It is not necessary to configure the printing parameters in the Formlabs printers. The chip incorporated in the resin cartridges detects the type of material by configuring the printing automatically.
Off time
Lifting height
Bottom exposure
Bottom layers
Curing and washing properties
Washing time (FormWash) 10 min
Curing time (FormCure) 5 min / 60ºC
Mechanical properties (without curing / with curing)
Izod impact strength (ASTM D256-10) Draft Blue: 35 J/m / 21 J/m
Draft Grey: 26 J/m / 26 J/m
Charpy impact strength -
Elongation at break (ASTM D 638-10) Draft Blue: 17% / 7%
Draft Grey: 14% / 4%
Tensile strength (ASTM D 638-10) Draft Blue: 23 MPa / 36 MPa
Draft Grey: 24 MPa / 52 MPa
Tensile Modulus (ASTM D638-10) Draft Blue: 900 MPa / 1600 MPa
Draft Grey: 800 MPa / 2300 MPa
Flexural strength  -
Flexural modulus  (ASTM C790-10) Draft Blue: 600 MPa / 1500MPa
Draft Grey: 600 MPa / 2300 MPa
Surface hardness  -
Propiedades térmicas (sin curado / con curado)
Softening temperature (ASTM D 648-16 / @ 0.45 MPa) Draft Blue: 50.6ºC / 63.4ºC
Draft Grey: 43 ºC / 74 ºC
Additional Information
Lifetime (since manufacturing) 24 months
HS Code 2916.1


* The typical values detailed in this table should be considered as a reference. Actual values may vary depending on the 3D printer model used, part design and printing conditions. We recommend confirming the results and final properties with own tests. For more information you should consult the technical data sheet of the product.

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