I have recently obtained a friend’s old Formlabs Form 2 SLA printer. I I am an absolute beginner to printing, but I am pretty excited to get into it.
However, the only place that I would realistically be able to put it is on my desk in my bedroom. From everything I’ve read, I need a better ventilated space with more tolerance for a mess than I could possibly provide.
I think that the right call is to just sell it and save up for some FDM printer, but at the end of the day, I have the SLA printer in hand.
I am asking whether these concerns about resin printers are really that bad and if I am actually fine to start learning printing with what I have in my bedroom.
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I tried this once and decided thhat it’s too risky. Do not do this.
Rsein printers are not for bedrooms. You’ll constantly smell that stuff and think that you’re poisoning yourself. Also: spills will happen and you don’t want that stuff spilled on your regular desk or on some object of daily use which then needs to be put out in the sun, just to be safe.
Gonna second this. Unless you also install a 24/7 fume hood in your bedroom, the smell alone would be nauseating - not to mention toxic/carcinogenic.
Also, I don’t have an FDM printer, but I’ve heard even those aren’t good for bedroom use due to the fumes from the plastic.
It also isn’t just the resin fumes that are toxic, but the post processing bio ethanol as well.
I got my first SLA printer last year and can confirm, do not get this if you don’t have good ventilation or space away from you.
I print exclusively with water washable resins which are less potent in smell and IIRC toxicity too, and it still smells and the smell still gives me a headache if I try to do something quick without my mask. The smell lingers around the printer when printing even hours after putting on the top cover. I’m working on a solution to air it out through a dryer duct but I don’t think that will be the end all either.
Go with an FDM and print PLA until you have a better arrangement at home. Avoid ABS printing because it has similar effects and dangers for your health as resin printing.
Form 2 is challenging to operate for a newbie:
- laser -> “special” resin required. Formlabs recently moved on to LCDs meaning in the years to come the last third-party manufacturers will stop producing those resins as demand further declines. Leaving the first-party FormLabs as the only option ($100+/kg).
- Difficult to maintain resin tank. Requires a vacuum oven and an upfront investment of roughly $150 for chemicals. There are conversion kits/prints for FEP film to resolve this limitation.
Yes, it really is that bad. We have a resin printer at work and it has been banished to a different room due to the resin fumes. The table it sits on is perpetually sticky, and we go through twice as much IPA postprocessing the prints than we use in resin
I converted the closet to a 3D Printing area, adding a bathroom-style ceiling vent fan and shelf to hold the 3D printer, resin, cleaner and accessories.
I will tell you I can’t smell anything with the doors shut, and the vent does a good job of removing the smell during printing.
Can’t recommend TeachingTech’s “Resin 3D printing beginners step by step guide” enough, that was basically the model I followed, including hanging paper towel holders on the inside doors and getting silicone mats to prevent spills.
Also, gloves. Every time. Every time I open that closet the first thing I do is put on gloves, even to touch the tools. I have no idea what still has resin on it, so I trust nothing in there.