0:02 Oh, Bendy
0:07 a Metalabs TGM7 3D printing resin. Let's
0:10 give it a review.
0:13 Hey guys, every time I use a new resin,
0:16 you've seen me test it with the Amelabs
0:19 town test print. So, when ALabs asked me
0:22 to review their TGM7 resin, I was keen
0:26 to give it a go. Ameilabs are pitching
0:29 this resin squarely at tabletop gamers
0:32 and there's a valid reason for this. We
0:35 all love our standard resin prints, but
0:38 they can be very brittle. Drop a 3D
0:40 print and the chances are you'll break a
0:44 chunk of it. This resin, however, is
0:48 highly flexible, maybe even unbreakable.
0:49 But first, we need to know if it will print.
0:51 print.
0:53 Emers have an excellent library of
0:56 printer settings and I was quickly able
0:58 to find what I was looking for and feed
1:01 this information into my slicer of choice.
1:02 choice.
1:06 ALabs claimed this resin is high detail.
1:09 So I opted for my frozen Sonic 4K to
1:11 give it the best chance of impressing
1:15 me. And of course I printed the town
1:17 test print
1:20 and impress me it did. The settings a
1:23 Metal Labs provided seemed perfect for
1:25 the job and the details certainly seemed
1:28 to be there.
1:30 I quickly got on with printing some
1:32 miniatures, but I have to take issue
1:35 with the Metal Labs at this point. They
1:38 say DGM7 is one of the fastest curing
1:42 resins for LCD printers. And with my
1:45 monochrome screen and a layer time of
1:48 1.9 seconds, you might think this is true.
1:49 true.
1:51 But look again,
1:54 these lifting speeds are quite slow and
1:56 the lift height is higher than normal
1:59 and that's to contend with the viscosity
2:02 of this resin. It's quite thick and
2:04 heavy, so slowing things down should
2:06 prevent tears.
2:10 So, one of the fastest? I don't think so.
2:12 so.
2:14 It certainly sticks well to the build
2:17 plate, which is always a good thing.
2:20 Washing is tricky though. Viscosity
2:23 causes issues again as a quick dipping
2:26 IPA doesn't do the job. You really
2:28 appreciate a wash and cure with this
2:31 resin. And even then, I found a 4-minute
2:34 cycle was needed instead of my usual
2:36 2minut wash.
2:39 If you like tearing away the supports,
2:42 firstly tutt cut them away. You'll get
2:45 better results.
2:48 But secondly, tough luck. Being
2:50 flexible, only the lightest supports
2:53 will break away with ease. It's possible
2:56 to pull away thick supports, but it gets
2:59 tricky and risks damage. So, I'd stick
3:01 with cutting.
3:03 After another quick wash to remove resin
3:06 hidden behind the supports, the prints
3:08 are still sticky to the touch, but a
3:10 spin under the curing lamp will sort
3:13 that out nicely.
3:15 Sanding is useful if you're looking for
3:19 tiptop results, and this resin certainly
3:24 If you hadn't already guessed, these
3:26 miniatures are from our friends at
3:29 Archville and Games. And as always,
3:32 they're packed with detail. Sure enough,
3:35 this resin holds plenty of detail. I'm
3:39 genuinely pleased with these results.
3:41 However, I did run into trouble when I
3:43 tried to print something a little
3:46 bigger. As mentioned, this resin is
3:49 heavy and even hollowed out and well
3:51 supported. I found the larger prints
3:54 tended to tear themselves apart under
3:56 their own weight.
3:59 Simply put, standard supports weren't up
4:02 to the job. On my third print attempt, I
4:05 really beefed up the supports with a 2
4:09 mm thickness and a 1 mm tip in several places.
4:11 places.
4:13 Fortunately, this extra strengthening
4:16 did the job nicely, but it's a valuable
4:20 thing to keep in mind. Heavy resins need
4:23 heavier supports.
4:26 So, it prints nicely, but how flexible
4:28 is it?
4:32 Well, Barry, I dare say if you try to
4:34 break it, you'll succeed. But in an
4:37 accidental knock situation, I think
4:40 you'll be safe. Tabletop miniatures and
4:43 fancy chest pieces can be handled with
4:45 confidence with little worry of breakage.
4:47 breakage.
4:50 But just remember, the bent pieces have
4:53 no memory, so they'll stay bent unless
4:56 you straighten them back.
4:58 The flexibility of this resin got me
5:01 thinking about other applications.
5:04 I found this buckle on Thingiverse and I
5:06 thought I'd see how well it stood up to
5:08 the challenge.
5:10 Normal resins would likely snap quite
5:12 quickly and PLA is probably a better
5:39 use I considered was mold making. I've
5:41 tried this a few times and I've snapped
5:43 off the odd delicate piece when it was
5:45 really inconvenient.
5:48 But knowing that your print won't break
5:51 will be a definite advantage.
5:54 So what else does a Miraabs claim?
5:57 Low odor. Well, this is a personal
6:00 preference thing. What one guy doesn't
6:02 mind another will find thoroughly stinky.
6:04 stinky.
6:06 But personally, whilst there is an odor,
6:10 I didn't find it strong.
6:13 Compatible with most printers.
6:15 Well, looking at this list, I'd have to
6:18 say that was true.
6:21 Hard, non-sticky, paintable surface.
6:24 I normally prime before painting, but
6:26 here I just went for it with Cetadel
6:29 paints to test the theory.
6:31 Ignoring the poor skills of the painter,
6:34 I think it performed pretty well. So,
6:36 there's only one other factor to
6:39 consider, and that's price.
6:42 It has to be said it's not the cheapest
6:45 resin out there. Yes, it's high detail,
6:47 but there's cheaper resins that can
6:50 match the printing quality for sure.
6:54 However, this is a specialtity resin.
6:56 It's designed to bend and not break. And
6:59 so, for that, I guess you're going to
7:01 have to pay a little more. And if this
7:04 is an issue you often face, such as with
7:07 tabletop gaming, it may well be worth it.
7:09 it.
7:12 So, what are my thoughts on a Mirrorabs TGM7?
7:14 TGM7?
7:15 I'm not sure I'd agree it's one of the
7:18 fastest printing resins out there, but
7:20 I've not investigated this either as
7:24 frankly it's not much of an issue to me.
7:26 However, I have to agree with the rest
7:29 of AOLAB's claims. So, as long as you're
7:32 happy to give extra support if necessary
7:34 and spend that little bit longer than
7:37 normal cleaning, then sure enough, it's
7:40 a tough, flexible, highdetailed, low
7:45 odor resin that won't disappoint.
7:48 So, that's it for this video, guys. If
7:50 you have any questions, as always, let
7:53 me know. So, take care and thanks for watching.
