3D printing is way of transforming 3D digital models into physical parts by stacking thin layers of a material in sequence forming a solid model from those layers in your desired shape.

Liquid resin 3D printers like the ones that use Cosmos Resins work by solidifying thin layers of resin in a tank, also known as VAT. When that solid layer is pulled from the film in the bottom of the tank, the resin can flow under the print and the machine gets ready to solidify another thin layer of resin and that starts the process again continuing until the part is complete.

Each 3D printer has its specific print volume, the ones used in dentistry start around 130x80mm, the printed parts tend to be around the size of a fist. There are also much bigger print sizes like 1500x1000mm for specific uses and every size in between with varying prices and qualities.

Supports are a key piece of successfully achieving great prints consistently. Without them overhanging pieces would not have any place to grow from and would end up glued on the FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) film resulting in unsuccessful prints.

Layer thickness can affect the visual quality of your print and get you better adaptations on your parts. Thinner layers like 25μ(0.025mm) tend to have marginally better visual details but they take an exorbitant amount of time to print. The most common layer size is around 50μ(0.050mm) which gives you a good visual surface quality and reasonable print times. Thicker layers like 100μ(0.100mm) can be used for les rigorous study models where the general shape is more important than the details.

thick layers - print fast | thin layers - high resolution

No, like any new tool there is a learning curve, but the activity is straightforward and there is a lot of content that can help you figure out any difficulties that you might have along the way.

Supports are a key piece of successfully achieving great prints consistently. Without them overhanging pieces would not have any place to grow from and would end up glued on the FEP (Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene) film resulting in unsuccessful prints.

You will need to find the recommended settings for your printer in the Cosmos Resins Interactive Guide, from that starting point you can follow our calibration guide and find the best configuration for your printer/resin combination.

Access our setup videos and documentation and learn how to configure your printer: globalplay.cosmosresins.com

The FEP or Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene is a thin film that allows the UV light to pass and polymerize the resin and, at the same time, it doesn’t allow the resin to firmly stick to the FEP, it is a material with nonstick properties that allows the part to stay in the build platform but not in the bottom of the resin tank.