Mastering Supports in Resin 3D Printing

Resin 3D printing allows for incredible detail and surface quality, but it comes with its own challenges. One of the most important skills for achieving successful prints is mastering the use of supports. 

Why Are Supports Critical in Resin Printing?

Resin printing relies on light-curing tiny layers in a liquid medium. Each new layer needs to attach to the previous one or to the build plate. 

We recommend paying particular attention to isolated parts called islands—these are sections of a model that appear during printing but are not attached to the main structure. If left unsupported, islands can float away in the resin vat and cause major print failures. Our goal during support placement is always to eliminate these islands by properly attaching them to the rest of the model or the supports.

Preparing Models for Printing: Sculpting with Supports in Mind

Support strategy actually starts during the sculpting phase. In our experience, it is crucial for sculptors to consider printing needs from the very beginning:

• Avoid designing extremely thin details that could snap off when removing supports.

• Minimize sharp angles and protruding elements. Each sharp, isolated piece requires its own support, increasing the risk of surface damage when supports are removed.

• Round and smooth edges whenever possible, as this makes support attachment safer and easier.

Good design leads to easier and more reliable printing!

Good supports are designed to minimize contact damage, optimize stability, and allow easy removal.

Support Placement Strategies

1. Find and Fix All Islands

An island is any part of a layer that is not connected to anything below it. If left unsupported, it will fail. Always use your slicer's "island detection" tool to find and fix them.

2. Orientation Is Key

In our experience, around 30% of successful printing depends on the correct orientation of the model on the build plate. Properly positioning the model reduces the number of supports needed and helps avoid suction failures. Many slicers have a tool that automatically aligns the model based on flat surfaces, which saves a lot of time.

For example:

When printing a weapon like a sword or a gun, we recommend positioning it vertically to minimize support scarring.

When printing an armor chest piece where the back is flat (and will later be covered with a backpack), we tilt the model so that the back faces downward. This way, any support marks are hidden once assembly is complete.

3. Minimize the Number of Supports

We recommend using as few supports as necessary to safely print the model. The fewer supports, the less surface cleanup will be needed—and the better the final result will look.

4. Hide Supports in Less Visible Areas

Since supports leave marks, we always try to place them on the undersides or hidden parts of the model. Strategic support placement keeps important visual details clean and crisp.

5. Support Heavy Areas Properly

Large overhangs, massive pieces need stronger or multiple supports.

When setting up supports for resin 3D printing, we use carefully tuned parameters to ensure optimal results. Here are the settings we recommend based on our experience:

In our next article, we will continue sharing our experience with support placement techniques.

Stay tuned and don't forget to subscribe to our blog for more tips and insights!