Resin 3D Printing: What Materials Should You Use?

Resin 3D printing is now a popular method for making highly detailed models, prototypes, dental devices, and useful functional parts. Today, many material options are available. Even novices and professionals prefer resin 3D printing, but the question is how one choose the right resin 3D printing materials.

Every single change in resin you make will affect the strength, flexibility, surface finish, or overall print quality. In this post, we will analyze all the main resin types to tell you what each one is like and how to choose the most suitable one for your next project.

If you require a high-precision printer to begin experimenting with different resin materials, check out the rest of this article for our recommendations.

What Are Resin 3D Printer Materials?

Resin 3D printer materials are photosensitive liquid photopolymers that turn solid (cure) under UV light. SLA, DLP, and LCD 3D printers print these resins layer by layer to build very high-resolution objects. Each resin type has its own combination of strength, flexibility, hardness, heat resistance, and transparency.

The Main Categories of Resin 3D Printing Materials

Different choices are available in resin 3d printing materials. Let’s learn more about the main categories of resin 3d printing materials.

Standard Resins

Designed for everyday prints, standard resins offer a smooth surface, exceptional detail, and are great for anything that does not need to survive stress, miniatures, display models, or prototypes.

An easily reliable option in this category is the HeyGears UltraPrint-Modeling PAS10 Standard Modeling Resin, well-known for its accuracy and clean surface finish.

Tough & ABS-Like Resins

Tough resins mimic ABS with a more rigid, less brittle plastic. They handle mechanical stress well, making them suitable for functional parts and snap-fit components. Use them for applications that require strength and moderate flexibility, with a rubbery feel.

Flexible & TPU-Like Resins

Flexible resins behave like rubber or TPU and can bend without breaking. They are ideal for wearables and gaskets, as well as providing flexible parts with a slight cushioning effect, as demonstrated by our medical device trials.

Elastic Resins

Elastic resins simulate the high elongation and softness of silicone, returning quickly to their original shape after being stretched or compressed. They are well-suited for applications requiring high resilience, such as soft grips, complex bellows, and pliable anatomical models.

Castable Resins

Castable resins offer clean burnout properties with minimal ash residue, making them essential for jewelry and dental investment casting. They enable jewelers and technicians to create highly detailed designs that can be directly used in the casting process.

High-Temperature Resins

These resins are high precision but need to be handled carefully in post-production. Thermoset resins offer high heat resistance and work under the best conditions in molds, industrial testing, and engineering. These materials keep their shape when heated and can stand up to the most intense conditions habitually without losing an iota of precision. All the better for energy-heavy applications or where a material will probably get hot. 

Water-Washable Resins

Water-washable resins are a neat design. They're just perfect for applications where cleanliness counts. Instead of using IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) to clean prints, users rinse them off with water. This makes the workflow faster and safer for everyone--but especially beginners.

How to Choose the Right Resin Material for Your Project

Whether you are making pieces with stunning looks, strong functional pieces, or exact components, the right resin is crucial to finding the result you want from your project. By thoughtfully considering goals for your project, its performance demands, and cost, you can find out which material is best.

Step 1: Identify Your Application - Is it for looks or for function?

Understand what the printed piece is meant to do first:

Aesthetic or display purposes — A regular resin will produce sharp details and a finished surface at a cost within reason. If you are making life-size figurines, prototypes, or art pieces with a distinct aesthetic, you can’t go wrong using a standard resin.

For mechanical and practical use — The material you require allows printouts to flex, move, or endure the stresses of impact. Sometimes, they’re going to be materials specially designed for performance, such as tough resins, or anything like ABS or flexible resins.

For special applications, models of this kind require biocompatible or casting resins. They must be expressly designed for exact definition and safety in use.

If you are clear about what your print will accomplish soon, you can avoid wasting time, material, and effort.

Step 2: Match the Properties to Your Needs - Strength, flexibility, or fine detail?

Once clear goals are set, they need to be reconciled with the resin's properties.

Strength and Impact Resistance — A tough or engineering-grade resin will wear, resist pressure, and operate over and over as expected by repetition.

Flexibility and Elasticity — Resins like TPU or flexible ones are perfect for flexing, pressing, and enduring vibration.

Fine Detail and Surface Quality — When you really need to see all the tiny contours, possibly tiny letters on a stamp or letterbox, or smooth finishes that other resins don't offer, standard or casting resins will do.

Heat Resistance — For molds, engineering fixtures, and high-temperature tests, the resin needs to withstand heat beyond normally expected limits.

Thus, by assessing these traits carefully, you can be sure that your material will satisfy actual use conditions.

Step 3: Consider Your Budget and Post-Processing Requirements

It is also important to consider practical factors in your choice of material, especially those related to the running costs for your operations or if you are managing multiple projects simultaneously.

Budget and Material Costs — Standard or water-washable resins with good performance, cost less than the more complex resins.

Post-Processing Requirements — Some materials require longer cure times, more supports, and special cleanup procedures. In general, flexible, castable, or high-temperature resins involve more processing steps than most standards.

Balancing technical performance with practical concerns can result in a material that not only meets your creative aim but also increases work efficiency.

Quick Comparison Chart: Resin Type vs. Common Applications

Let’s make a quick comparison to find out which resin type is best suited for which application:

Conclusion

Selecting the right material is the first step toward getting good prints. This guide contains the answer to your question: What resin 3d printer materials do I need to use? But the answer depends entirely on what your project actually calls for — strength, flexibility, or budget — and that’s no simple question.

Standard resins make perfect everyday printing material, and tough & flexible resins are suitable for functional pieces. And that’s where you start looking at HeyGears PAT10 Transparent Resin and PAS10 Standard Resin.

Whether you are doing models for fun or need perfect, professional parts, choosing the right resin will significantly impact your result. And with a high-capability resin 3D printer like the Reflex 2 3D Printer, you can really make your chosen material go as far as possible.