{"id":1275,"date":"2020-12-09T01:56:17","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T01:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gorillaoutput.com\/?p=1275"},"modified":"2020-12-19T03:39:03","modified_gmt":"2020-12-19T03:39:03","slug":"can-you-over-cure-resin-prints","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gorillaoutput.com\/can-you-over-cure-resin-prints\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Over-Cure Resin Prints?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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The question of whether you can over-cure resin prints or not is a controversial matter. Some people say there is nothing like over-curing, while some others say that it is better to over-cure than to under-cure. Yet, others say that over-curing will damage your resin print. Which of these is true? We have the facts on this subject and we will be discussing it in detail in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you over-cure resin prints? If you leave resin print in your UV curing machine for more time than necessary, brittleness will set in. Anyway, over-curing is inevitable except you keep the resin printed part away completely from sunlight exposure. Sunlight emits UV, which continues to cure the resin print gradually over time (probably years)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some resin manufacturers claim that there will be no change to their resin prints in brittleness. However, the personal experiences of many users have proven otherwise. Generally, resin prints become more and more brittle with time after you cure them. As you read on, you will understand why this happens. We will also show you why you should not worry about over-curing if you are using a UV resin dental filling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is Over-Curing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by NeONBRAND<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over-curing happens when UV continues to cure resin print even after it hardens enough for use. The first way this happens is if you keep your resin 3D print in the UV curing station for an extended time. The second way this happens is due to extended UV exposure from sunlight exposure, as well as other UV light sources.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So it seems that UV exposure can do two things to your resin print. It can harden it and make it more stable. But then, after the resin print reaches its optimal stability, UV exposure can begin to have negative effects on the resin print. In the section that follows, we will show you what UV does to resin print and how curing and over-curing happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Is Curing Different From Over-Curing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

UV light polymerizes resins. This means that it makes newer and stronger chemical bonds to form in resins. This process cures resins. But after resin has cured completely, UV light begins to degrade the resins. As you read on, we will explain these two effects of UV light on resins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Photo-Polymerization Effect of UV Light Cures Resin Prints<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Photo-polymerization is the first thing that happens when you expose uncured resin print to UV light. The photons from UV radiation complete the polymerization of bonds in the resin. This means that the molecules form stronger bonds as they cross-link to form a long network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo-polymerization makes resins harder, more stable, and stronger until it reaches its optimum mechanical and aesthetic properties. Once this happens, you can describe the resin print as \u201cfully cured\u201d. If you are using a UV curing station, this could take 10-15 minutes. Sunlight, on the other hand, takes hours to fully cure resins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Degradation Effect of UV Light Over-Cures Resin Prints<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

UV light damages all organic materials<\/a>, including resins. So if you use extreme UV levels while curing, it would degrade (or over-cure) your resin print and cause brittleness. Over-curing can also happen if you keep the resin printed part in your UV station for longer than necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a resin print outdoors will not cause any significant degradation. But the effects can accumulate over years and cause brittleness. However, if you place your resin print on a window where UV radiation reaches it constantly, degradation will happen quickly. Under this condition, the resin print can become brittle within 3 weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that the degradation effect of UV light is not specific for resins. It happens with all organic materials. However, the degree of degradation differs from one material to the other. There are different types of resins with varying sensitivity to UV light. The UV-sensitivity of your material will determine how fast it will degrade under UV exposure and the wavelength that\u2019s sufficient to cause degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Video – Can you leave 3D Prints outside? PLA in the sun for a year!<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

3D printed parts from PLA seem to be able to withstand sunlight UV exposure better than resins. But then, UV exposure still causes the degradation of PLA prints. Ultimately, UV exposure is the greatest enemy of any 3D printed part, regardless of whether you use resin or PLA.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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