SLA – White Resin
White Resin is a general-purpose resin for SLA 3D printing, built for accuracy, fine detail, and surface quality. Its bright, matte white finish looks close to injection-molded plastic, which makes it a strong choice for presentation models, form-and-fit prototypes, and stiff, accurate jigs and fixtures.
What White Resin Is Best For
- Form and fit prototypes for checking geometry, assemblies, and fit
- Presentation-ready models for customer reviews and product demos
- Concept models and visual prototypes with fine detail
- Anatomical models
- Jigs and fixtures where dimensional accuracy and stiffness matter
When another material is a better fit
- Need a see-through part: Clear Resin
- Need impact resistance or toughness: Tough 2000
- Need a polypropylene-like feel for snap fits: Tough 1500
Key Material Facts
- White Resin has a bright, matte white finish that approaches injection-molded quality
- Captures fine features and intricate detail with excellent accuracy
- Tensile strength: 54 MPa; tensile modulus: 2.5 GPa (with our standard post-cure)
- Heat deflection temperature: 62°C (144°F) at 0.45 MPa (with our standard post-cure)
- Parts can be printed solid and air and fluid tight right off the printer
- Works with glue joints and light welding; printed threads are possible, but Helicoil inserts are recommended
- Excellent chemical resistance: about 1% or less weight gain in nearly every solvent Formlabs tested, with acetone at 4.9%
White Resin Material Properties
Version note: we currently print with Formlabs White Resin V5, the latest version of this material.
Mechanical and thermal properties (from Formlabs’ published data sheet). Our standard is the quick 5-minute ambient post-cure, shown in the first column. Formlabs also publishes values for a 15-minute post-cure at 60°C, shown for comparison.
| Property | Post-cured 5 min, ambient | Post-cured 15 min at 60°C | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ultimate tensile strength | 54 MPa (7832 psi) | 62 MPa (8992 psi) | ASTM D638-14 |
| Tensile modulus | 2500 MPa (363 ksi) | 2675 MPa (388 ksi) | ASTM D638-14 |
| Elongation at break | 15% | 13% | ASTM D638-14 |
| Flexural strength | 91 MPa (13198 psi) | 103 MPa (14938 psi) | ASTM D790-15 |
| Flexural modulus | 2450 MPa (355 ksi) | 2750 MPa (399 ksi) | ASTM D790-15 |
| Notched Izod | 34 J/m (0.636 ft-lbf/in) | 32 J/m (0.598 ft-lbf/in) | ASTM D4812-11 |
| Heat deflection temperature @ 1.8 MPa | 54°C (129°F) | 59°C (138°F) | ASTM D648-16 |
| Heat deflection temperature @ 0.45 MPa | 62°C (144°F) | 71°C (160°F) | ASTM D648-16 |
White Resin solvent compatibility
Percent weight gain over 24 hours for a printed and post-cured 1 × 1 × 1 cm cube immersed in each solvent.
| Solvent | 24 hr weight gain, % |
|---|---|
| Acetic acid 5% | 0.9 |
| Acetone | 4.9 |
| Bleach ~5% NaOCl | 0.7 |
| Butyl acetate | 0.3 |
| Diesel fuel | 0.1 |
| Diethylene glycol monomethyl ether | 1.0 |
| Hydraulic oil | 0.2 |
| Hydrogen peroxide (3%) | 0.9 |
| Isooctane (gasoline) | < 0.1 |
| Isopropyl alcohol | 0.3 |
| Mineral oil (light) | 0.2 |
| Mineral oil (heavy) | 0.2 |
| Salt water (3.5% NaCl) | 0.8 |
| Skydrol 5 | 0.5 |
| Sodium hydroxide solution (pH 10) | 0.8 |
| Strong acid (HCl, concentrated) | 0.5 |
| Tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether (TPM) | 0.3 |
| Water | 0.8 |
| Xylene | < 0.1 |
More information on White Resin is available from Formlabs, the material manufacturer.
Design Tips for White Resin
SLA parts are printed with supports that leave small marks where they touch the part. We orient each White Resin part so those marks land on non-critical surfaces, so tell us which faces are cosmetic or need to hold tight dimensions. Keep wall thickness as uniform as you can, and add drain holes to any hollow section so uncured resin can be cleaned out.
Our SLA Part Design Guide covers wall thickness, hole and pin sizes, snap fits, and how to get the most accurate SLA parts.
Finish and Color Options
White Resin parts can be finished to any of our standard SLA finish levels:
- Level 1: Support sanding
- Level 2: Matte finish
- Level 3: Mold master
- Level 4: Paint prep
- Level 5: Cerakote
We can also paint parts to a requested color, install threaded inserts, and handle other finishing and post-processing.
White Resin Part Gallery
Related Resources
- SLA 3D printing overview
- SLA part design guide
- Accuracy of 3D printed parts
- Machine and material comparison
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