How Do You Post Cure Resin Prints?

Post-curing resin prints involves exposing them to a light source, often ultraviolet (UV) light, and sometimes heat, to fully cure the resin, achieving its final physical properties like hardness and strength.

Methods for Post-Curing Resin Prints

Post-curing is a crucial step after cleaning resin prints. It completes the polymerization process that began during printing, ensuring the part reaches its designed mechanical properties. Many methods for post-curing exist, utilizing various light sources and sometimes incorporating heat.

Common Post-Curing Techniques

Curing primarily relies on exposure to UV light, as this energy triggers the final curing of most resin types. As mentioned, methods range from curing simply with light to using both light and heat.

Here are some common ways to post-cure your resin prints:

• Natural Sunlight: This is the simplest method and uses readily available natural sunlight. Place your cleaned prints in direct sunlight, rotating them occasionally for even exposure. While free, curing time can vary depending on weather, location, and time of day.
• UV Nail Salons: These compact devices are designed for curing gel nail polish but contain UV lamps suitable for curing small resin prints. They offer a controlled environment and consistent UV exposure.
• UV Curing Stations: These are dedicated devices specifically built for post-curing 3D resin prints. They typically feature multiple UV lamps, sometimes a rotating turntable for uniform exposure, and often temperature control, using both light and heat for faster and more complete curing.
• DIY UV Cure Boxes: Hobbyists often build their own cure boxes using reflective materials and UV LED strips or lamps. These DIY UV cure boxes allow for customization in size and UV intensity.

Combining UV light with heat can accelerate the curing process and improve the final properties of the resin, making using both light and heat a preferred method for achieving optimal results, especially with dedicated curing stations.

Here is a simple overview of methods:

Choosing the right method depends on your budget, the size and volume of your prints, and the required mechanical properties of the final parts. Regardless of the method, ensure prints are clean before curing to prevent residue from hindering the process.