50 Microns of Gray: Introducing Our Smooth Detail Resin for Scale Modelers
Once again we’re proud to announce a new member in our growing family of 3D print materials! This time we would like to introduce the official trial of a high-detail material that is perfect for scale modelers: Smooth Detail Resin! Featuring a smooth surface, an extreme level of detail due to its 50 μm layers, and a gray color that’s perfect for painting, this material is what many of you have been waiting for. Let’s take a closer look!
Introducing 3D Printed Smooth Detail Resin
As of today, you have the chance to get your design 3D printed in Smooth Detail Resin with i.materialise. The material has now officially debuted as a new ‘trial’ 3D printing material on our website.
Models made out of Smooth Detail Resin are constructed from a hardened liquid resin (we’ll tell you more about the technology later). This leads to robust high-quality plastic prints.
As the printing process uses layers of 50 μm, the surface of your model will be very smooth and the printing layers will barely be visible. This makes Smooth Detail Resin perfect for miniatures and scale models.
Color and Finishes
Our Smooth Detail Resin comes in the color gray. This color was chosen since it makes details much more visible, and it is perfect for hand-painting.
We currently offer this material in two types of finishes: you can order your model ‘with support’ or ‘without support’. If you order your model ‘without support’ we will manually remove the scaffolding material used for the production of your model. This option is great if you don’t want to get your hands dirty.
Some designer prefer to remove these structures themselves (with tools and sanding paper) and thus prefer the finish ‘with support’.
Examples of 3D prints with support structures:
Design Guidelines
Another great aspect of this material is that the maximum printing size is pretty big for such a highly detailed material. You can print designs with a size of up to 260 x 160 x 193 mm!
If you follow our blog closely, you probably already know the importance of the right wall thickness of your 3D model. Smooth detail resin only requires a minimum wall thickness of 0.4 mm – that’s 60% less than most other plastics.
Click here to find out more about the design specifications for printing in Smooth Detail Resin.
The Technology behind a Smooth Detail Resin 3D Print
For printing parts in this material, we use a technology that is fairly similar to Stereolithography: Digital Light Processing (DLP).
So here’s how it works: Firstly your 3D model is cut into extremely thin layers by a specialized software. If support structure is needed, our software automatically calculates and designs it for your model.
Then the printing process starts. DLP printers typically construct the model on a build platform that hangs downwards. A light source shines upwards on the precise spots of liquid resin that will become part of your object. The build platform with the model is then pulled up slightly, and the next layer is printed in one single pass. This is repeated until the model is finished – literally having been printed layer by layer.
After the printing process, the build platform is completely raised. The excess liquid resin flows downwards, leaving the build platform ready for removal from the printer. The supports are manually detached afterwards (if you choose this option).
Do you feel like creating a 3D print in Smooth Detail Resin yourself? Then make sure you check out our material page about this amazing material! You will be able to learn even more about its applications, technology, and design rules.
If you are ready to place your order, simply upload it here and get your price quote instantly.
