Large format resin 3D printer selection for professionals
Table of contents
- Large resin 3D printers: a new trend?
- Best large volume resin 3D printers 2020
- Overview of the best large format resin 3D printers
- Special mentions: other large resin 3D printer options
- Resin 3D printing: main takeaways
- 3D printing resins: what materials are available?
- Resin 3D printing: how fast is it?
- FAQ
Large resin 3D printers: a new trend?
However, a third SLA sub-technology has recently made its way to the market: MSLA (Masked Stereolithography). In short, MSLA 3D printers use LCD screens as light masks over LED lights, simplifying the resin 3D printing process and drastically bringing prices down.
On that account, large volume resin 3D printers are now affordable enough (and actually available on the market) for SMEs and entrepreneurs, whether it’s for prototyping or small production series.
That said, there aren’t many options yet, as you can see in our large format resin 3D printer selection below. This selection is based on large resin printers that are priced under $20,000, hence excluding large industrial SLA printers which we’ll soon cover in another guide.
Our guide also covers the main pros and cons of resin 3D printing, which resin materials are available, and how fast resin printers are.
Best large volume resin 3D printers 2020
3D printer | Build volume (mm) | Build volume (L) | Country | Price* | Buy |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Photocentric LC Magna | 510 x 280 x 350 mm | 49.98 L | United Kingdom | $19,920 | Quote |
Peopoly Phenom L | 345 x 194 x 400 mm | 26.77 L | China | $3,200 | Quote |
Formlabs Form 3L | 335 x 200 x 300 mm | 20.10 L | United States | $9,999 | Quote |
Peopoly Phenom | 276 x 155 x 400 mm | 17.11 L | China | $1,799 | Quote |
Photocentric LC Dental | 293 x 165 x 250 mm | 12.09 L | United Kingdom | $7,690 | Quote |
UNIZ SLASH PRO | 192 x 122 x 400 mm | 9.37 L | United States | $4,499 | Quote |
Phrozen Shuffle XL | 190 x 120 x 200 mm | 4.56 L | Taiwan | $1,299 | Quote |
*Price: MSRP. Prices may vary over time and/or from one country to another (shipping, taxes, exchange rates, etc.).
Overview of the best large format resin 3D printers
Photocentric Liquid Crystal Magna
- Build volume: 510 x 280 x 350 mm
- Country: United Kingdom
- Price: $19,1920
While mass manufacturing may be a difficult goal to achieve with resin 3D printers (or 3D printing in general), the LC Magna does sport a pretty fast curing speed of 5 to 8 seconds per layer (13.3mm/hour). Its large build platform enables the production of small, detailed series. For example, as displayed on the Photocentric website, it’s possible to 3D print up to 46 dental arches in 2 hours.
More information: Photocentric Liquid Crystal Magna
Its large build volume enables users to print small production series and tall parts (400mm). The Phenom L is one of the largest resin 3D printers available.
More information: Peopoly Phenom L
The printer’s interface and cartridge-based workflow are geared towards ease of use, and Formlabs has developed a wide range of proprietary resins over the years to suite numerous applications.
More information: Formlabs Form 3L
The printer uses a 12.5-inch 4K LCD panel and a custom light engine for optimal light distribution. It’s one of the more affordable options, but that doesn’t stop it from delivering professional-grade print quality.
More information: Peopoly Phenom
The LC Dental has many of the same features and technologies found in the Liquid Crystal Pro, but with a more palatable price tag.
More information: Photocentric Liquid Crystal Dental
The company’s proprietary resins are best suited for the SLASH PRO, but users have reported success with various third-party resins as well.
More information: UNIZ SLASH PRO
It uses 405nm UV-LED lighting, meaning it works with most generic resins on the market.
More information: Phrozen Shuffle XL
Special mentions: other large resin 3D printer options
Atum3D DLP Station 5
- Build volume: 192 x 108 x 250 mm (5 L)
- Country: Netherlands
- Price : €23,000
Available in several configurations, the Atum3D DLP Station 5 is an all-in-one solution. The printer is designed with an open resin system but sold in packages tailored to specific industries. Industrial-grade parts and a wheeled base station are a few other highlights of the DLP Station 5.
Azul 3D HARP
- Build volume: –
- Country: United States
- Price : –
Another large-format resin system to keep in mind comes from Azul 3D. Their new resin printing platform is called HARP, which stands for High Area Rapid Printing. Their Fluid Flow technology promises to make prototypes a thing of the past with production-ready prints.
Resin 3D printing: main takeaways
We highlight a few of the key advantages of using a resin 3D printer while also touching on a few of the cons.
SLA vs FDM vs SLS
While many FDM 3D printers offer bigger build volumes, resin 3D printers provide much smoother results in terms of accuracy and surface quality. In this price range, the only kind of printer that could potentially match resin printing quality would be a desktop SLS 3D printer. There’s a very limited range of available powder types and colors, however.
Benefits of resin printing
These are some of the main, high-level advantages of resin 3D printing.
- Smooth surface finishes – Resin printers are able to produce very thin layers that are barely visible to the human eye, if not invisible.
- High level of details – It’s possible to print complex, intricate models with tight tolerances.
- Unique resins – The selection of specialty resins is quite impressive, from colored or transparent resins to strong, rubbery, or castable resins.
- Speed* – Whether you print one small object, several parts, or one large model (all either simple or intricate) of the same height, the overall print time will be the same.
*Does not apply to laser-based SLA 3D printers.
Resin 3D printing drawbacks
While resin 3D printing offers compelling advantages, there are still a few things you may want to keep in mind.
- Material prices – Resin can be expensive, especially if the system you choose doesn’t work with third-party resins.
- Post-processing – Prints must be washed and then cured with a UV light or sunlight. Most manufacturers sell separate, dedicated “stations” for these steps to make them less troublesome.
- Toxicity (and smell) – It’s important and necessary to wear gloves, and working in the same room as an active resin 3D printer is highly discouraged.
3D printing resins: what materials are available?
- Biocompatible
- Castable
- Transparent
- Hard
- High tensile
- Temperature-resistant
- Flexible
Not all resins are compatible with all resin printers, and some resin printers only tolerate their manufacturer’s proprietary materials (e.g. Formlabs). This is true for other technologies, too, such as FDM/FFF, e.g. Stratasys with proprietary filaments, or SLS, with almost all manufacturers curbing compatibility.
Resins can also be specially formulated for certain types of technologies. For example, MSLA printers won’t be able to cure resins made for laser SLA printers. This is partly because they use a less powerful light source.
Resin 3D printing: how fast is it?
- As a maximum height reached in certain amount of time (mm/minute, cm/hour)
- As the amount of time it takes to cure one layer (seconds/layer, layers/minute)
It’s a good idea to keep resin 3D printing speeds in mind, even if a variety of factors– namely layer thickness and type of resin– make that number hard to narrow down. For reference, the PartPro 120 xP from XYZprinting is currently one of the fastest 3D printers on the market. It’s capable of printing a 3-cm-tall part in only 10 minutes, while some resin printers would require over an hour.
FAQ
What’s the largest resin 3D printer available?
At the moment, that would be the UnionTech RS Pro 2100, which happens to be an industrial SLA printer. This massive machine has a build area of 2100mm x 700mm x 800mm.
Is 3D printing resin toxic?
Yes, while toxicity levels can vary, resin is something you’ll want to keep off your skin and out of your eyes. Gloves and protective eyewear are necessities when working with any type of resin.
More 3D printing resources
- Full-color 3D printers produce photo-realistic parts and prototypes.
- Do you want to compare all existing 3D printers? Use our comprehensive 3D printer comparison engine.
- Try out 3D scanning for free with one of these 3D scanner apps.
- For tight budgets, we made a selection of the best cheap resin 3D printers.
- 3D printing services can be a good alternative to in-house 3D printing to meet non-frequent demands.