SLA 3D Printing is one of the additive manufacturing technologies that cures liquid resins layer by layer by UV laser light. It is always be discussed that the material of SLA 3D Printing is limited, because SLA can only apply liquid resins. However, there are different types of resins, which enable printed products to have different effects and features. You can choose the resins depend on your needs, but please remember checking your Resin 3D Printers specifications to see if the resin type is compatible with the printer. Considering resin features, with special mechanical properties and appearance, flexible resin has been applied in various scenarios. In this article, we will learn more about flexible resin recommend the best flexible resin of 2022.

Image Source: Formlabs

Part 1. Top 5 Flexible Resin

Flexible resin is a kind of liquid 3D resin that can be cured by UV laser light. Its properties resemble rubber and being able to produce solid but flexible parts. Basically, the Shore hardness of flexible 3D Printing resin stands for the firmness and flexibility of the printed parts after curing, which is normally around 80A. The color of flexible SLA resin tends to be transparent so that you can showcase your flexible resin printed parts in whatever color you want.

However, it may be a little bit tricky to print successfully via flexible resin, so we also deliver some tips to you so that you can get the best quality parts:

1. Be aware that some flexible resin brands have different variants depending on the type of printers, so it is necessary to check material and machine compatibility before printing.

2. Be careful that the model should be designed in a final shape that your products will be, because flexible resin always try to revert to its original shape and can be reverse after curing.

3. Be sure that the layer thickness and curing time is suitable for flexible resin brands that you are using.

Therefore, to help you choose the right flexible resin to print your products, we list top 5 flexible resin brands to you. Keep reading and discover with us!

Image Source: Liqcreate

1. Monocure Flex100

Monocure Flex100 is the flexible resin that has high flexibility, and compressible and bendable models can be printed by it. The FLEX100™ can be both used on its own or mixed with other resins to produce parts with specific flexibility and hardness. The parts created by the FLEX100™ is durable and firm. Before mixing the FLEX100™ with other resin system, it is necessary to pay attention on the ratios to ensure successful printing. You can keep ratios simple by making 100grams at a time. The more flexible your parts will be if you add larger amounts of the FLEX100™. There are some tips to guarantee successful printing:

1. Be aware of curing time and UV exposure when mixing the FLEX100™ with other resin systems.

2. Use thick and dense supports when only using the FLEX100™.

3. Preset the layer height as 25µm to have a better resolution.

4. Paint with Monocure CMYK pigments for creating product with customs colors.

5. Remember to use scales to weigh the resins when using as an additive.

Image Source: Monocure

2. Formlabs Flexible 80A

Formlabs flexible resin is always the classic choice. As Formlabs engineering resin are formulated to validation and performance testing, enabling you to optimize manufacturing process. In Formlabs flexible and elastic resin library, Flexible 80A Resin is the most stiff-soft-touch material which can withstand flexing, bending, compression and even repeated cycles. You can create parts with advanced mechanical properties and unique look by the flexible 80A resin. There are also some tips before printing with Formlabs 80A resin:

1. Flexible 80A supports printing resolution as 100 and 50µm.

2. It is compatible with Formlabs printers Form 3, Form 3B, and Form 2; and any Form 3/3B resin tank.

3. It requires post-curing.

4. It is resin tank LT required when printing with Form 2.

Image Source: Formlabs

3. Liqcreate's Flexible X

If you are looking for flexible resin which is not transparent, and you think it is difficult to choose the right one. We recommend Liqcreate Flexible-X flex resin to you. The Flexible-X is an opaque black photopolymer resin which is compatible with a wide range of 3D printers, such as MSLA, DLP, LCD, and SLA. You will get parts with exceptional flexibility and great rebound properties by printing with the Flexible-X. Please pay attention that your printer is in the range of 385-420nm, ensuring that the Flexible-X can be printed. The hardness of the Flexible-X is 55 Shore A, while the elongation is up to 160%, making it suitable for producing soft touch and elastic parts for industrial use.

Image Source: Liqcreate

4. Photocentric

Photocentric offers professional and practical flexible UV resin. Photocentric UV DLP flexible resin is what we recommend because you can create soft, flexible 3D products. Besides, the material can be printed by most of UV LCD and DLP printers, such as MoonRay, Asiga, Envisontec, Flashforge, Anycubic, Wanhao, Phrozen, Sparkmaker, Kudo Bean and more. Photocentric UV DLP flexible resin is an ideal material for many flexible applications as the printed objects is capable of being stretched without snapping or breaking. You can blend thin or hollow structured parts, while they will reverse to original shapes easily.

Image Source: Photocentric

5. Zortrax

If you are trying to find flexible 3D resin with special color to showcase your design. Zortrax Resin FLEXIBLE is the transparent-yellow flexible resin with high impact resistance. You can print with Zortrax Resin FLEXIBLE to have products with smooth surfaces, high level of details, and sharp edges. The Shore hardness of the material is 60 D and the elongation and break amounts to 19%. Shrinkage is one of the biggest issues that you may be worried about. Use Zortrax Resin FLEXIBLE to print parts, it delivers low shrinkage so as to display your design to an exact copy. Besides, the curing time of the material is short, which improve working efficiency.

Image Source: Zortrax

Part 2. SLA 3D Printing at Wenext

After learning so many flexible resins from different brands, we can see that the mechanical properties and printed part features are varying by different types of resins. Moreover, you may need to mix the material if you want a specific hardness. How about printing your designs by online services and gain what you want just by uploading designs on the instant quoting engine? Wenext helps you! Wenext provides online SLA 3D Printing and a wide range of resin choices to you, so that you can have printed parts with desired mechanical properties and product performances. You don’t have to buy a printer and materials which is saving money and cost! More importantly, Wenext delivers post-processing to every printed part, ensuring that our customers will have flawless resin 3D prints in a short lead time. Please feel free to try instant quoting on our website or contact us at hello@wenext.com if you are interested.