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Comment by regretsresin | Hacker News Reader

You don't want a resin printer. They are nasty, chemically, they require you to set up a "hot zone", you need ppe, venting is really important. When your print works good, you still have to wash it and then cure it. Changing colors ids like a whole event.

FDM printers are amazing now. Strongly recommend an FDM printer.

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On the other hand, once you have everything in place, get used to the process, have made it a habit and stick to it rigorously, it can be extremely rewarding to do resin printing.

FDM printing is also extremely rewarding. And cheaper. And cleaner. PLA can be composted in some municipalities.

Max out your 3D printing with FDM, and only if you can't achieve your goals, get a resin printer.

> Max out your 3D printing with FDM, and only if you can't achieve your goals, get a resin printer.

Not everyone has the luxury of affording space for multiple ecosystems. Not everyone owns a house. Some live in small urban apartments and have to count every m² of shelf space. Printers, supplies and spare parts all add up. So the decision may be between one printer or nothing, and I can see why one might choose to go SLA first if they know exactly what they want up front.

SLA printing takes WAY more space. You need ventilation, alcohol washing station, uv curing spots, a means to dispose of toxic waste, gallons of IPA, and a place to work on the products that's isolated from food or daily work. You need gloves, eye protection, and a respirator.

It's also way more expensive. My advice stands for nearly every case. I'm sure there's a handful of people out there who have a small apt and they want to dedicate a lot of space to their resin setup. I just don't think there are very many at all.

That's quite a loaded other hand.

True. The point I was trying to make is, once you’re past that valley it can feel just as normal and convenient as FDM printing.

So “[y]ou don't want a resin printer” may be true for you, or for most users, but certainly not true for everyone. It’s a question of personal preference.

Nothing about having to suit up in gloves, eye protection, and a respirator as you toothbrush off resin in a bucket of 99% IPA is ever going to feel as convenient as warping the build plate and walking away with your print.

It's fine to prefer resin. Go enjoy it. But the idea that it's comparable to fdm printing in convenience is just not true.

Isn’t part of the point of these ones that they now have a line of safe resins?

Honestly asking. I’ve never owned one. Just seen some of the tsunami of videos for this one.

It does seem to be less toxic resins, but I liken working with resin printers to dipping something in an open can of paint or glue. Even if it's nontoxic, it's still annoying to deal with.

Safer resins. Like "less lethal" ammunition. It's still a nightmare to deal with.

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