15 must-have 3D printing accessories for use with resin printers

This little pickle container has a strainer perfect for cleaning your smaller models. Just fill the container with isopropyl alcohol and put your model in the strainer. You can then use the strainer to lift it out of the bath when it’s ready.

You don’t want to get resin on your skin. Nitrile gloves are the most critical thing on this list, and having a good supply will save you from some severe chemical burns. Resin printing is a lot of fun and rewarding, but be safe.

Removing the print from the build plate to your resin bath is essential without damaging it. This extra-wide knife allows you to get the model without stressing it, and the 90-degree angle from the blade to the handle helps spread pressure evenly.

Resin printers often have lift-off acrylic covers that become dirty. This 2-pack of suction cup handles helps you remove the lid. One is clean for when you don’t have resin on your hands, and one is dirty for when you do.

Not every print is successful. Sometimes your print doesn’t stay on the print bed, and you need to remove it from your FEP sheet in the vat. Using a metal scraper will immediately ruin the FEP, so use one of these plastic scrapers instead.

When you have detailed prints, you need to get rid of the excess resin from all the lines. These ultra soft-bristled toothbrushes work excellently, but you need to be as gentle as possible. If you scrub at them too hard, you could damage the print.

You often have to change resins when 3D printing, and it’s essential not to get any cured resin mixed in. These nylon filters are perfect for filtering resin, and a 50-pack should keep you going for a while.

The Wash and Cure Box from Anycubic is cheap and, frankly, excellent for finishing the resin printing process, and you would be doing yourself a disservice by not owning one. It washes and cures your prints all in one handy machine.

Don’t skimp

All 3D-printing parts break at some point. Be prepared for the worst, and keep a spare FEP film handy or, in this case, six. A good quality film will last a long while in most DLP printers.

While resin printing isn’t carcinogenic, it is smelly. Always use resin 3D printers in a well-ventilated room, but having an air purifier certainly doesn’t hurt. It clears irritants out of the air and works on any mold or smoke from your workshop.

The last step in finishing a resin print is curing, done in bright sunlight or using a UV lamp. With some elbow grease, this powerful lamp can make a cool UV curing station.

You only get one set of eyes. Even at relatively low levels of intense UV, continued exposure can be harmful. Besides, you don’t want resin in or near your eyes either.

It might look a little much, but resin gives off noxious fumes. If you don’t have a great ventilation system, then a respirator is essential. If you’re planning on spray-painting your prints, you’ll want one of these anyway. With replaceable filters, this half mask will last you years.

This ultrasonic cleaner, an alternative to the pickle jar, is perfect for automatically cleaning your prints. All you need is a bagged print with isopropyl alcohol with the timer set for three to five minutes. This one even has a handy basket for easy removal.

Cleaning resin can be messy. After you’ve printed the model and before it is fully cured, you need to wash it in a bath of isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl removes any excess resin so your model can look at its very best. You will use quite a lot, so consider this multi-pack.