Description
Of all the 3D printer supplies you could purchase for your UV Resin 3D Printer, FEP film is one of the most important in order to getting really good 3D prints. For this reason we stock the best quality FEP we can find.
Thickness of the FEP also plays a role in the quality of the print and settings your printer uses.
The FEP is usually between 100-200 micron thickness. Thinner FEP films tend to be easier to print with but are easier to damage / puncture.
Function of the FEP film in an SLA / DLP 3D Printer
Unlike FDM 3D printers that print the “from the ground up”, most UV resin printers print the prints upside down. Excuse the tongue twister!
So on resin printers, the build plate is upside down. It get’s dunked into a “VAT” or small tank of UV resin. To form the first layer onto the build plate, the build plate travels right down to the bottom of the VAT.
The bottom of the VAT is transparent to allow UV light to cure the resin onto the build plate.
Then the build plate lifts a few millimeters and dunks down again into the resin. This time however, leaves a gap between the bottom of the cured layer on the build plate and the bottom of the VAT.
The UV light comes on again and the resin that exists between the previously UV cured layer and the bottom of the VAT becomes cured. The build plate lifts up again and the cycle continues!
What is FEP film
Many of you will be familiar with “teflon” which is a brand name for a plastic called PTFE. PTFE is probably one of the most slippery plastics made today. However it can be a little cloudy as a material, particularly when stretched.
FEP is PTFE’s first cousin! It’s a little less “non-stick” than PTFE but it’s known to have better clarity, so it has become a great choice for UV resin printing for this reason.
Important features of the FEP film in an SLA / DLP 3D Printer
The FEP:
- Needs to have good transparency, blemish free, in order to maximize the curing ability of the UV light in your 3D printer.
- Must be free of creases, cuts or holes in order to ensure the resin doesn’t leak out of the VAT / tank, down into the workings of the 3D printer.
- Should be thick enough so as not to be easily punctured but thin enough so it flexes to allow the printed part peel away easily from the FEP between each layer formation.
REPLACING THE FEP FILM ON THE WANHAO DUPLICATOR 7 DLP 3D PRINTER
REPLACING THE FEP FILM ON THE ANYCUBIC Photon DLP 3D PRINTER
REPLACING THE FEP FILM ON THE FLASHFORGE DLP 3D PRINTER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG_jnNbzPKE