AmeLabs TGM7 is a 3D printing resin designed for tabletop gamers, offering exceptional flexibility and durability to prevent breakage, though it requires specific handling for printing and post-processing.
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Oh, Bendy
a Metalabs TGM7 3D printing resin. Let's
give it a review.
Hey guys, every time I use a new resin,
you've seen me test it with the Amelabs
town test print. So, when ALabs asked me
to review their TGM7 resin, I was keen
to give it a go. Ameilabs are pitching
this resin squarely at tabletop gamers
and there's a valid reason for this. We
all love our standard resin prints, but
they can be very brittle. Drop a 3D
print and the chances are you'll break a
chunk of it. This resin, however, is
highly flexible, maybe even unbreakable.
But first, we need to know if it will print.
print.
Emers have an excellent library of
printer settings and I was quickly able
to find what I was looking for and feed
this information into my slicer of choice.
choice.
ALabs claimed this resin is high detail.
So I opted for my frozen Sonic 4K to
give it the best chance of impressing
me. And of course I printed the town
test print
and impress me it did. The settings a
Metal Labs provided seemed perfect for
the job and the details certainly seemed
to be there.
I quickly got on with printing some
miniatures, but I have to take issue
with the Metal Labs at this point. They
say DGM7 is one of the fastest curing
resins for LCD printers. And with my
monochrome screen and a layer time of
1.9 seconds, you might think this is true.
true.
But look again,
these lifting speeds are quite slow and
the lift height is higher than normal
and that's to contend with the viscosity
of this resin. It's quite thick and
heavy, so slowing things down should
prevent tears.
So, one of the fastest? I don't think so.
so.
It certainly sticks well to the build
plate, which is always a good thing.
Washing is tricky though. Viscosity
causes issues again as a quick dipping
IPA doesn't do the job. You really
appreciate a wash and cure with this
resin. And even then, I found a 4-minute
cycle was needed instead of my usual
2minut wash.
If you like tearing away the supports,
firstly tutt cut them away. You'll get
better results.
But secondly, tough luck. Being
flexible, only the lightest supports
will break away with ease. It's possible
to pull away thick supports, but it gets
tricky and risks damage. So, I'd stick
with cutting.
After another quick wash to remove resin
hidden behind the supports, the prints
are still sticky to the touch, but a
spin under the curing lamp will sort
that out nicely.
Sanding is useful if you're looking for
tiptop results, and this resin certainly
If you hadn't already guessed, these
miniatures are from our friends at
Archville and Games. And as always,
they're packed with detail. Sure enough,
this resin holds plenty of detail. I'm
genuinely pleased with these results.
However, I did run into trouble when I
tried to print something a little
bigger. As mentioned, this resin is
heavy and even hollowed out and well
supported. I found the larger prints
tended to tear themselves apart under
their own weight.
Simply put, standard supports weren't up
to the job. On my third print attempt, I
really beefed up the supports with a 2
mm thickness and a 1 mm tip in several places.
places.
Fortunately, this extra strengthening
did the job nicely, but it's a valuable
thing to keep in mind. Heavy resins need
heavier supports.
So, it prints nicely, but how flexible
is it?
Well, Barry, I dare say if you try to
break it, you'll succeed. But in an
accidental knock situation, I think
you'll be safe. Tabletop miniatures and
fancy chest pieces can be handled with
confidence with little worry of breakage.
breakage.
But just remember, the bent pieces have
no memory, so they'll stay bent unless
you straighten them back.
The flexibility of this resin got me
thinking about other applications.
I found this buckle on Thingiverse and I
thought I'd see how well it stood up to
the challenge.
Normal resins would likely snap quite
quickly and PLA is probably a better
use I considered was mold making. I've
tried this a few times and I've snapped
off the odd delicate piece when it was
really inconvenient.
But knowing that your print won't break
will be a definite advantage.
So what else does a Miraabs claim?
Low odor. Well, this is a personal
preference thing. What one guy doesn't
mind another will find thoroughly stinky.
stinky.
But personally, whilst there is an odor,
I didn't find it strong.
Compatible with most printers.
Well, looking at this list, I'd have to
say that was true.
Hard, non-sticky, paintable surface.
I normally prime before painting, but
here I just went for it with Cetadel
paints to test the theory.
Ignoring the poor skills of the painter,
I think it performed pretty well. So,
there's only one other factor to
consider, and that's price.
It has to be said it's not the cheapest
resin out there. Yes, it's high detail,
but there's cheaper resins that can
match the printing quality for sure.
However, this is a specialtity resin.
It's designed to bend and not break. And
so, for that, I guess you're going to
have to pay a little more. And if this
is an issue you often face, such as with
tabletop gaming, it may well be worth it.
it.
So, what are my thoughts on a Mirrorabs TGM7?
TGM7?
I'm not sure I'd agree it's one of the
fastest printing resins out there, but
I've not investigated this either as
frankly it's not much of an issue to me.
However, I have to agree with the rest
of AOLAB's claims. So, as long as you're
happy to give extra support if necessary
and spend that little bit longer than
normal cleaning, then sure enough, it's
a tough, flexible, highdetailed, low
odor resin that won't disappoint.
So, that's it for this video, guys. If
you have any questions, as always, let
me know. So, take care and thanks for watching.
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