3d printed Big Muff Knob

[Leevibe]

Dang. I didn't realize SLA has gotten that accessible. That's cheap! Whats the build volume? How is the smell/mess? And I love that goo is part of the name.

Build volume is tiny. In the pic I posted above.....that's the entire build plate (in terms of X / Y). It's 120 x 68 x 155mm (Z).

It's messier than it is smelly, in my opinion. The Elegoo brand resin is actually not that bad smell-wise. But that shit gets everywhere if you're not meticulous, and it's pretty nasty stuff. Resin printing is both messy and a bit wasteful (gloves, isopropyl alcohol, paper towels, etc). It also requires a whole cleanup process you don't need with FDM. And it requires a lot more supports for things that wouldn't be an issue with FDM, which means more time post-processing. But the print resolution is off the charts. And, because it's light-based and it can expose the entire build area at once, printing one of something takes as much time as printing 4 or 10 of that same model. So it's slow as hell for one-offs, but you make up for it when printing multiples.

The newer cheap SLAs are worth trying out if you're already a 3D printer guy. I wouldn't recommend this process for someone looking to get into 3D printing.

That sounds about right. I think I could handle the mess because of the trade-off in precision. It's just nice to know these things are finally getting within reach. I wonder how long the resin trays last and how much they cost to replace. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing what you make. I had been starting to think about getting another FDM printer but I may just stick with mine for another year or so and see where SLA goes in that time. I honestly think that's a useful build volume for much of what I do. It would open up the potential to create custom knob molds for casting etc.

[culturejam]

I wonder how long the resin trays last and how much they cost to replace.

The one that comes with it is milled aluminum. Should last forever. The bottom is FEP film (transparent) and is pretty cheap to replace. That's the part that wears out over time. It gets scratches and/or stretched and starts causing problems in the prints. The LCD can also get damaged, but it's only about $30 to replace it, and the newer cheap-o printers are designed to make the replacement relatively simple.

Elegoo has sold cheaper plastic trays in the past, but they never seem to have them in stock. Those are cool because you can switch resins without having to do a full cleanup. You put a lid on the one tray and then pop a different one on the machine.