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UV resin is the material for SLA, DLP and LCD printers. Unlike filament, which is melted and laid down layer by layer, resin sits liquid in a vat and cures point by point under UV light. The practical difference is resolution: details that fail in FDM printing because of nozzle width come out cleanly in resin.
Plexiwire Model Resin is made for figures, miniatures and scale modelling — anywhere edges need to stay sharp and surfaces fine.
For 28 mm miniatures, character heads, fine-module gears and model parts, resin beats filament. For anything that has to take load or be large, the opposite holds: cured resin is more brittle than PLA or PETG and snaps where filament would bend.
A bracket, an enclosure or a functional part still gets printed in filament. A figure with facial features gets printed in resin.
A resin part isn't finished when the print is. It has to be washed — normally in isopropanol — and then post-cured under UV light. Skip that step and the surface stays tacky and the part never reaches its final strength.
Curing time depends on wall thickness. Too short and the core stays soft; too long and the part turns brittle and can develop fine cracks.
Liquid resin irritates skin and airways and can cause permanent sensitisation with repeated contact. Nitrile gloves, safety glasses and a ventilated workspace are a requirement, not a recommendation.
Cured resin is harmless. Only the liquid state is critical — while filling the vat, removing the part and washing it. Uncured residue and used isopropanol don't belong down the drain; leftovers can be cured in sunlight and then disposed of as a solid.
Both processes have their place, and most workshops run them side by side. Filament is straightforward: load it, print, take the part off, no post-processing, no protective gear. Resin demands washing, curing, gloves and a ventilated spot — and in return gives detail that FDM printing can't reach.
The rule of thumb: if the job is about function, size or strength, filament is the right choice. If it is about surface and fine detail on small parts, resin is the only one.
Dark, cool and tightly closed. Daylight slowly cures resin inside the bottle and ruins it. Shake it well before every use so the pigments redistribute — settled colour particles lead to uneven curing.
Model Resin comes in black, white and grey, each in a 500 g bottle. Grey is the usual starting point for miniatures, because details are easiest to judge on a neutral surface and primer covers it evenly.
