Resin recommendation

[Storen]

I went over most of the posts here and I am amazed how many resins and combinations are available for this printer. I am new to 3D printing and frankly all this great information is a bit overwhelming

I plan to buy my firs printer soon and I would like to get some resin with it. Could someone recommend a resin or a blend to start with?
I’ll be printing rings with very intricate details so the resolution would be very important - 10-20 microns on Z would be ideal. A clean burnout is also very important. The cost of the resin not so much as I don’t intend to print often or in large volumes.

[Archerm]

For now I would recommend the B9 Emerald for what you are looking for. It works well for rings, other detailed jewelry and casting. Resins change frequently and hopefully there will be another option in the future.

[robin]

For non-castable resins that have a lot of detail, I'd recommend the SolusProto resin.

For castable resins, I've used the B9 Yellow and MakerJuice's WaxCast. Each has it's own pros and cons but I find myself using both depending on the model. For instance, I printed a 20mm "tree of life" pendant flat on the build area and when I tried to remove it using the MJ WaxCast, it wouldn't come off in one piece and was a total mess. I ended up using the B9 Yellow which bends more and all was good. Another print was for a thick men's ring that would fail using the Yellow, I switched to the MJ WaxCast and it printed without any issues.

Here's some observations of those two resins:
- B9 Yellow bends more and is harder to break than MJWC
- MJWC is more forgiving and is less likely to have failed prints as its not sticky
- B9 Yellow is sticky (solved the issue a bit by lowering the layer exposure by 0.3 secs - yellow fails less now, yay!)
- MJWC doesn't smell as bad as the B9 Yellow (huge factor for me since I print from my home office)
- MJWC takes MUCH more time to cure (20 mins compared to 5 mins for the same model using the B9 Cure machine; the cheap UV nail box takes a minimum of +6 hours)
- MJWC is cheaper and is a great resin to learn printing with - ask Shane from MJ for a WC resin sample
- B9 Yellow lights up like radioactive liquid when printing (think hulk/comic lol, awesome stuff to sit and watch).

The Solus team is coming out with a new castable resin soon. I'm really excited to see how it'll compare to the other resins (odor, castability, stickiness, etc.). You might want to get yourself a 500ml bottle of MJWC (~$50) for now until that one comes out.

HTH,
Robin

[Storen]

Thank you Archerm and Robin!

I intend to use install the printer in a small home office so the resin fumes are huge factor to me as well. I am more worried about the safety rather than the smell. The fumes of all B9 (except the dental) resins are toxic and dangerous not only for you but for everyone else who enters the office. B9 can be equipped with a fume extractor which will mitigate the problem to large extend. I checked the SDS of MJWC and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fumes of this resin are safe for inhaling! I think I'll use it as much as possible. I would suggest the same for you (Robin). Safety should come first.

[robin]

Thank you Archerm and Robin!

I intend to use install the printer in a small home office so the resin fumes are huge factor to me as well. I am more worried about the safety rather than the smell. The fumes of all B9 (except the dental) resins are toxic and dangerous not only for you but for everyone else who enters the office. B9 can be equipped with a fume extractor which will mitigate the problem to large extend. I checked the SDS of MJWC and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fumes of this resin are safe for inhaling! I think I'll use it as much as possible. I would suggest the same for you (Robin). Safety should come first.

Storen,

I've read that the B9 resins don't get to release harmful fumes since the heat isn't building up because the Solus' projector isn't seated under the resin tank. However, let's assume they still do release nasty fumes. Do they cause long term health issues like lung cancer or is it short term like irritation and a headache?

I live in one of those open style apartments where the living room, kitchen and home office are one big area with a very high ceiling. I'm hoping that the large open area will allow the fumes to mix in with the room's atmosphere, minimizing the levels of the fumes to a safer degree and with the balcony door open during and after the prints allowing for clean air to refresh the room that it won't be a problem to use without an extractor. But the matter really goes back to the health concerns and how serious they are.

[Storen]

@ Robin:

Not having the projector under the machine definitely helps but is not enough to make the setup safe. The fumes of B9 resins are not carcinogenic. They are classified as 'Reproductive toxicity Category 2'. This is the info from the SDS:

- May damage fertility (reproductive system) or the unborn child (birth defects), Category 2
- Avoid breathing gas/mist/vapors/spray. If inhaled, move person into fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Consult a physician.
- Use personal protective equipment. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation.
- Use a full- face respirator with multi-purpose combination (US) or type ABEK (EN 14387) respirator cartridges as a backup to engineering controls. If the respirator is the sole means of protection, use a full-face supplied air respirator. Use respirators and components tested and approved under appropriate government standards such as NIOSH (US) or CEN (EU).

[Storen]

@ Robin:

By the way the blue castable resin from Formlabs is also safe but is 3 times the cost of MJWC.

[robin]

@ Robin:

Not having the projector under the machine definitely helps but is not enough to make the setup safe. The fumes of B9 resins are not carcinogenic. They are classified as 'Reproductive toxicity Category 2'. This is the info from the SDS:

- May damage fertility (reproductive system) or the unborn child (birth defects), Category 2
- Avoid breathing gas/mist/vapors/spray. If inhaled, move person into fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Consult a physician.
- Use personal protective equipment. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation.
- Use a full- face respirator with multi-purpose combination (US) or type ABEK (EN 14387) respirator cartridges as a backup to engineering controls. If the respirator is the sole means of protection, use a full-face supplied air respirator. Use respirators and components tested and approved under appropriate government standards such as NIOSH (US) or CEN (EU).

WTF! I need my sperms intact! Well, at least till I a few kids Luckily, I haven't been using the Yellow that much and I'll think twice before using it again until I can figure out how to seal and get an extractor installed.

@ Robin:

By the way the blue castable resin from Formlabs is also safe but is 3 times the cost of MJWC.

I've got more resin than I can use.. The only resin that I might consider getting is the new Solus one if it turns out to be castable by casting houses and has no toxic fumes!!

[Storen]

WTF! I need my sperms intact! Well, at least till I a few kids

ha ha yes, same here

[rkundla]

Different resins seems to off-gas differently. I've been able to be around B9 yellow and red/cherry much longer than MakerJuice G+ or some of that really noxious resin from Bucktown Polymers.

If you really want to be safe, buy a fume hood for the printer setup and vent it outdoors away from doors or windows. The use of activated carbon filters with other chemical filters could be used for indoor venting if you cannot cut a hole in the wall for the piping.