Phrozen Announces “Light Putty”

Phrozen announced a unique product for resin 3D printing: light curing putty.

Phrozen is the well-known producer of a series of highly regarded Sonic brand desktop resin 3D printers, including their flagship 8K resin 3D printers.

One of the fundamental issues with resin 3D printing is the brittleness of the materials. This effect is exacerbated by the fact that exposure to the sun is actually putting more UV light on the print, making more curing take place.

These effects can cause prints to crack, break or otherwise be damaged. It’s common for operators to attempt repairs on 3D prints, but often it’s simpler to just print it again. However, that can be costly as resin is not cheap.

Repairs are sometimes made with glue, which can work, but presents a different look and has different properties than the rest of the print.

Now Phrozen has developed a unique product to help with these issues: Light Curing Putty.

It’s a gel that contains photoinitiators, just like 3D printer resin. Using simple putty tools, it’s possible to apply this material to broken 3D prints and then expose the item to UV light — perhaps even by leaving it in the sun — to complete the repair. Phrozen said it can cure in only 15 seconds.

It’s not a glue; it’s actually the same type of material as the print. This putty literally “becomes” part of the print after application and curing.

There are several ways to use this putty.

You could use it fill gaps in a print that might have been caused by missing support structures, at least if the gap isn’t too large. The gel properties of the putty allow for a little bit of “sculpting”.

Another solution is to fill cracks, which occur all too frequently in resin 3D prints.

If a segment of a 3D print has broken off, it’s possible to use the putty as a kind of glue to affix the broken piece back onto the main structure.

Phrozen said the putty can be sanded and painted after it’s cured, which puts it on par with the rest of the print. It’s likely after painting you’d never know there had been a repair.

My only concern about this product is that it must be used safely. Photoinitiators tend to be toxic, and the same could be said of this putty. That means wearing PPE when applying and handling the material and print.

Phrozen is selling bags of Light Curing Putty for only US$13. If you have broken resin 3D prints, you might consider this product.

Via Phrozen