2 replies to this topic

[alwayslearning]

Hello, guys! I hope you are well.

I'm thinking of buying a 3d-printer to develop some stuff for my ants (among other things).

I know this is not a technical forum. I just want to grab some of your knowledge (aka, experience) before making a decision.

 

I'm leaning to resin printers (AnyCubic or Elegoo) mostly because of the end quality. I'm aware resin requires a second step, wash and cure, but given the finish... I think it is a fair price to pay. 

 

Is anyone using printed resin gadgets for ants products? Like test tubes caps, feeders, etc. Is it safe both the resin as what is used to wash and cure? I'm a newbie in both, ants and 3d-printing, so, I want to be extra careful and avoid any side-effects.

 

Not counting the possibility of printing bigger pieces and the price of filament vs resin, is there something else that could make you opt for a filament printer?

 

Remember that my question is ant-oriented; I'm particularly concerned about products affecting the health of my colonies.

 

As always, your advice will be much appreciated. 

 

 

[SleepyAsianAnter]

I would stay away from resin printers for ant related items. 

Here is my lists of reasons, bear in mind I have never had a resin printer, but instead chose to go with filament printers

 

1. The resin itself is expensive

 

2. Resin emits fumes when printing, smells horrible

 

3. most resin print beds are tiny which limits your options for medium to large sized nests

 

4. filament printers work perfectly fine, and are usually cheaper

 

5. PLA filament is 20 bucks per roll and will last you a long long time

 

6. filament printers have a larger print bed, can get you bigger nests and items

[Domagoj]

I have an Elegoo Mars and I wouldn't say that the resin smells bad. There is a smell but far from uncomfortable.
Yes, resin is more expensive than filament, but you'll need to print a formic butt ton of ant supplies to use up a bottle of it.
For me, the resolution and finish were the reason I opted for resin instead of filament, because quite frankly, layers in FDM are way too thick for almost anything I'd like to make.
As for toxicity of cured resin to ants, last year I made some couplers for test tubes and saw no issues. I made sure to cure them thoroughly. I used standard Elegoo gray ABS like resin.
Washing solution is ethanol and curing medium is either water or ethanol, so there are no problems there.
Regarding FDM toxicity, if I'm not mistaken byFormica feeders are 3D printed, but there are various materials and I'm not sure which one is used for that.