The use of resins in applications with extreme athmospheres is increasing. A lot of information is already available on our website regarding thermal aging of 3D-printing resin, UV-stability of resin or using 3D-printing resins in contact with petrol or other chemicals. Additionally, in an earlier study Liqcreate Strong-X was placed in freezing conditions. Now the question arises about a 3D-printing resin that can work in even more extreme temperature conditions. In this article you can read how Liqcreate 3D-printing resins will perform when continuesly dipped in liquid nitrogen at 70 Kelvin / -203°C / -333°F.
3D-printing resin in cryogenic atmosphere (extremely cold)
A selection of general purpose, flexible, tough and extremely rigid resins were tested.
- – Liqcreate Deep Blue
- – Liqcreate Stone Coal Black
- – Liqcreate Premium White
- – Liqcreate Premium Tough
- – Liqcreate Premium Flex
- – Liqcreate Composite-X
- – Liqcreate Strong-X
- – Liqcreate Clear Impact
- – Liqcreate Tough-X
- – Liqcreate Flexible-X
Testing 3D-printing resin at extreme cold, cryogenic atmosphere.
The test setup was build with in its core a 350 ml flask. This flask is filled with liquid nitrogen at 70 degree Kelvin / -203°C / -333°F. The 3D-printed resin parts were dipped into the liquid nitrogen bath, leading to an immediate cold shock. During the 5 minute exposure to liquid nitrogen, the temperature was kept at the same low temperature. Before assessing the parts, they were acclimatized in normal atmosphere for half an hour.
Result of 3D-printing resin at extreme cold, cryogenic atmosphere.
After repeating the liquid nitrogen dip for at least 10 times, there were a few resins that were still in good condition without any defects. Liqcreate Deep Blue, Stone Coal Black, Premium White, Premium Tough and Composite-X have passed the tests without visual defects. Other resins like our flexible materials and some tough resins did not, or partially survive repeated exposure to liquid nitrogen at 70 degrees Kelvin.
Table 1: which resin survived repeatedly cold shocks in liquid nitrogen?
| 3D-printing resin | Survived in liquid nitrogen? |
| Deep Blue | Yes |
| Stone Coal Black | Yes |
| Premium White | Yes |
| Premium Tough | Yes |
| Premium Flex | No |
| Composite-X | Yes |
| Strong-X | Partially, not ideal |
| Clear Impact | Partially, not ideal |
| Tough-X | No |
| Flexible-X | No |
Conclusion
When you are looking for a 3D-printing resin in cryogenic athmosphere or any other low temperature application, Premium White, Deep Blue, Stone Coal Black, Premium Tough and Composite-X are very promising to use in these extremely cold conditions.
We hoped this was an interesting and educational read. Please send us an e-mail at info@liqcreate.com if you have any questions, comments or remarks. We wish you happy printing and good luck with using 3D-printing resin in extreme athmospheres!
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find 3D-printing resin for extreme cold applications & cryogenic atmosphere
Composite-X
Liqcreate Composite-X is an extremely rigid and high performance reinforced nano-micro composite resin for SLA, DLP & LCD / MSLA in the range of 385 – 420nm. Perfect for rapid tooling, wind tunnel testing, medical modeling and industrial applications.
Liqcreate Composite-X is one of the stiffest and strongest material available in the market. It has a flexural modulus over 9000 MPa and a flexural strength of 150 – 170 MPa. The material can be used after UV-post curing, or the properties can be boosted with a thermal cure. This material has features like excellent chemical resistance, high strength and high stiffness.
Key benefits |
3D-Printer compatibility |
| ·       High rigidity | ·       Phrozen3D Series |
| ·       High strength | ·    Atum3D DLP Station 5 |
| ·       Low odor | ·    Elegoo & Anycubic series |
| ·       Good chemical resistance | ·    And many more |
| ·       Extremely low shrinkage |
Premium Tough
Liqcreate Premium Tough is a tough and impact resistant resin for Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and Digital Light Processing (DLP) 3D-printers. Liqcreate Premium Tough is perfect for manufacturing functional prototypes that require toughness and durability. Liqcreate Premium Tough is a transparent resin which turns into a beautiful milky white polymer during polymerization. The high impact strength and exceptional scratch resistance of Liqcreate Premium Tough makes it perfect for the functional prototypes and industrial spare parts.
Key benefits |
3D-Printer compatibility |
| ·    High Impact Strength | ·    Elegoo Series |
| ·       Exceptional scratch resistance | ·    Phrozen3D Series |
| ·       Durable | ·       Anycubic Series |
| ·    LCD and MSLA compatible | ·    And many more |
Premium White
Liqcreate Premium White is the most opaque white resin available. This white photopolymer has excellent UV-stability, with almost no yellowing upon exposure. Due to its rigidity and high stability it is ideal for the manufacturing of medical and architectural models. Liqcreate Premium White can print fast and is easy to use on open MSLA / LCD and DLP 3D-printers in the range of 385 – 420nm.
Key benefits
|
3D-Printer compatibility |
| ·       Opaque White | ·       UnionTech Cute300 |
| ·    Non-yellowing | ·    Phrozen Series |
| ·       Low odor | ·    Elegoo & Photon series |
| ·       Low shrinkage | ·     And many more |
