Mixed 3D Resin Colors: How to Guide

Master the Art: A Comprehensive Guide to Mixing 3D Resin Colors

The vibrant world of resin 3D printing offers incredible details and surface quality, but what if your project requires a specific shade, that shadow cannot be revealed? Master the art of blending resin colors unlocks endless creative possibilities, allowing you to achieve custom tones, subtle gradients or perfectly matched tones. Whether you are a enthusiast pushing boundaries or a professional who needs custom parts, understanding resin color mixing is an essential skill.

Why mix resin colors?

• Unique creations: Beyond standard colors. Create brand-specific shadows, artistic gradients or monochrome resins that are impossible.
• Cost Efficiency: Instead of storing countless pre-colored resins, some basic colors and pigments can create a wide range.
• Small batch customization: Perfect for creating specific visual components or creating limited run projects without large minimum orders.
• Color translucent: Adjust the opacity or color casting of translucent or transparent resin for effects such as stained glass or tinted lenses.

Basic tools and materials

1. Basic resin: Choose clear resin, transparent resin or white resin as the foundation. White provides a bright foundation for bright colors, clear to achieve depth transparency and jewellery tones, while translucent colors have unique effects. Make sure it is compatible with the printer’s wavelength.
2. Colorant:

   • Resin dyes/pigments: Designed specially formulated liquid or adhesive pigment Specifically Resin for UV curable light. These colors have a bright color and minimal effect on curing compared to alternatives. It is crucial that you never use acrylic paints, alcohol inks, or food coloring, as they can inhibit curing.
   • (Not recommended) Mica powder: Can produce a shimmer effect, but introduce particles possible Spread light during printing, or cause blockage, if not completely dispersed.
   • (Not recommended) Non-yellow teeth specific pigments: Avoid coatings, inks or dyes not explicitly made into resins; they will almost certainly destroy the print.

3. Mix container: Clean, transparent cups or containers (disposable plastic or glass). Gradient cylinders help with precise scaling.
4. Mixing Tools: Clean mixing rod (stick, plastic shovel) or small lab shovel. Avoid materials that may contaminate resin. Magnetic stirrers are ideal for consistent, bubble-free mixing.
5. Precision tools: A pipette or dropper for adding a small, controlled amount of pigment.
6. Safety equipment: Nitrogen gloves and safety glasses are not negotiable. Work in well-ventilated areas or use a respirator. UV barriers are crucial when working near printers or UV curing stations.
7. Ratio (optional but recommended): For high accuracy and repeatability, especially when enlarging batches.

Step-by-step mixing process ( "How to operate"):

1. Start cleaning safe: Wear gloves and eye protection. Make sure your workspace is clean, level and free of dust.
2. Basic selection: Pour the selected alkali resin (transparent, white or translucent) into the mixing container. Start testing from a small batch (e.g. 100g).
3. Introduce Color – Slowly: Using a pipette or dropper, add a small amount of resin dye or pigment of your choice. Basic rules: "Less more." You can add more pigments at any time, but you can’t delete them. For dark colors, this usually means only a few drops per 100 grams of resin. Start with 1-2 drops.
4. Thorough mix: Stir consistently for at least 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the container to ensure no remaining mixed pigment. A vigorous mixing introduces bubbles, so focus on consistency, stirring thoroughly instead of stirring. Magnetic stirrers are ideal for achieving a perfect dispersion without air bubbles.
5. Visual inspection: Check the color in good light. Lift up the mixing rod to check consistency on the white background. Is this the shadow you want?
6. Iteration: If it’s too light, add pigment declinemix thoroughly after each addition. Record the drop amount of resin per weight!
7. Pre-print test: It is crucial that you do not pour it directly into the printer’s VAT. Always perform small test prints (for example, calibrating cubes or representing tiny parts of your design). Heal it completely according to the specifications of the basic resin.
8. Evaluation test: Check the completed print:

   • Color Accuracy: Is the cured color what you expect? Alkaline resin "White" Or become more opaque after curing, especially with clear resins. It is desirable to cure slightly lower color than the liquid mixture.
   • Curing quality: Is it tacky on the surface? Are there unfixed areas? Viscous or inability to cure indicates that excessive pigment inhibits the UV reaction.
   • Details and surface surfaces: Can you still capture details? Does the surface look smooth? Agglomerate pigment or excessive pigment can mask details.

9. Adjust and repeat: Adjust the mixture according to the test results:

   • Too light? Add to Only one drop Retest every 100 grams.
   • Curing or incomplete viscosity? Significantly Reduce the amount of pigment in the next batch (for example, half of what you last used).
   • Caking/loss of details? Make sure the pigments are fully integrated before printing. If the problem persists, try another pigment brand or type.

10. Extended (be careful!): Once you have a successful small batch recipe, carefully scale it to the main print. The amount of pigment is recalculated based on the weight of the recalculated alkali resin volume. Thoroughly mix large batches.
11. Printing and Treatment: Pour the mixed and tested resin into the printer’s clean bucket. Print as usual. Completely cure finished parts with the recommendation of basic resin.

Professional tips and best practices:

• Record all content: Record basic resin type, brand, coloring brand/type, weight ratio and drop rate count. Repeatability is key.
• Understand the power of pigment: Pigments vary greatly. Experiments were conducted using new pigment types on tiny batches to understand their strength and effects on curing.
• Temperature is important: Both resin viscosity and curing behavior are temperature sensitive. Maintain a stable room temperature (usually 25-30°C/77-86°F, check the resin data sheet).
• Treatment inhibition: Pigments absorb ultraviolet rays. The darker or more opaque mixture is, the more difficult it is to penetrate completely with UV. This is the reason "Less pigment more." If you are facing treatment problems, consider longer exposure times least Pigment resin, but reducing pigment is usually primarily fixed.
• gradient: For multicolor gradients, fill the bucket with the basic color and carefully add droplets of secondary color at specific locations. The print layer will be drawn from different areas, resulting in a controlled mixture. Careful masking and experimentation are required.
• Batch consistency: If you make a large amount, mix the entire batch you need immediately to ensure color uniformity for all parts.
• Experiment is key: Perfecting custom colors requires practice. Start a small, religious test and learn from each attempt.

Beyond DIY: When Professional Accuracy Is Important

Mixing resins at home is beneficial, but achieving absolute color consistency, complex pigment formulations or meeting critical functional requirements such as biocompatibility or thermal stability requires specialized expertise and industrial processes. This is with established rapid prototype services (e.g. Great Become priceless.

Greglight utilizes advanced SLM 3D printing technology and deep knowledge of materials science. Our professional team goes beyond basic mixing:

1. Material expertise: Obtaining a wide range of engineering grade resins and accurate industrial pigments ensures consistent, predictable results without the need for curing inhibition.
2. Precision metering and mixing: Industrial-scale equipment can ensure that batch color uniformity cannot be achieved manually.
3. Advanced post-processing: In addition to mixing, we also offer a range of finishing services (for sand casting, polishing, painting, plating) to achieve the aesthetic or functional surface properties required on mixed trim parts.
4. technical support: While achieving visual goals, guides on material selection to meet functional requirements (durability, flexibility, temperature resistance).
5. Speed ​​and scalability: Need to quickly customize functional prototypes or produce parts in small batches? Greglight offers optimized high-quality parts for performance and aesthetics.

in conclusion

Mastering resin color mixing can unlock new dimensions of creativity and customization in 3D printing. Adhesive by carefully selecting the right pigment "Less more" Principles, rigorously test small batches, and meticulously document the process, you can get amazing custom colors for your project. However, for demanding applications that require color consistency, complex chemistry or functional performance, working with professional rapid prototyping services such as Greatlight ensures excellent results, leveraging industrial capabilities and expertise. Whether you are exploring DIY blending or seeking professional solutions, there is vibrant, and the potential for custom resin creation is huge.

FAQ: Mix 3D resin colors

Q1: Can I use regular food coloring or acrylic paint to color the resin?

one: Absolutely not. Food coloring, acrylic paints, alcohol inks, and most non-tooth-specific pigments contain substances that almost certainly inhibit the UV curing reaction, making your print cheesy or completely out of the box. Always use pigments designed for UV resins.

Q2: How much pigment should I add?

Answer: It starts very small! Usually, only 1-2 drops of concentrated resin dye per 100 grams of alkali resin are enough. Severe risk inhibition of treatment with excess pigment concentration. Always perform small test prints and add them step by step.

Q3: My mixed resin printing, but the cured parts will be viscous. what happened?

A: This is the most common sign of pigment suppression. You have added too much pigment. The excess pigment prevents UV from penetrating the resin completely after printing and consolidation. you must drastically reduce the amount of pigment in the next mixture.

Question 4: Can I mix different resin brands or types together?

one: Be cautious. Different resins have different formulations (photogenerators, monomers, additives). Mixing them can lead to unpredictable results, including suppression of cure, strange viscosity, poor layer adhesion or reduced mechanical properties. This is not usually recommended. Stick to mix pigments Within Same brand/type of alkaline resin.

Q5: Can I create translucent or transparent colors?

Answer: Yes! Starting with a transparent or translucent alkali resin is key. Add a very small amount of transparent dye to beautiful jewellery-like tones. Remember that even the smallest pigment will reduce transparency and the deep resin color becomes opaque after curing. White pigments create opacity.

Question 6: Why does the mixed liquid look different from the cured print?

A: Uncured resins are usually slightly different from those after curing. Especially for removing resin "White" And becomes less transparent during curing. Pigments are also different from ultraviolet rays. Always judge the final color based on a fully cured test piece, not just a liquid mixture.

Q7: How to store the remaining mixed resin?

A: Store it exactly like your unmixed resin: in original bottles (if clean) or similarly sealed, opaque containers, away from UV and heat. Mark the exact content and ratio of the container for future reference. Stir gently before reusing.

Q8: Is dark resin difficult to print?

A: Yes, usually. Dark pigments, especially black, absorb more UV rays. This usually requires longer exposure per layer during the printing process to ensure full curing, which may affect print time and overall part accuracy. Test calibration is essential for dark mixtures.

Q9: Greglight can create custom prototypes, even if I only need 1-2 parts?

Answer: Absolutely! Greatlight specializes in rapid prototyping, offering small batch and one-piece custom manufacturing. This includes mixing resins to match specific Pantone colors or custom visual requirements, part of our end-to-end precise machining and finishing service.