Technologies

Best 3D Printer Resin

You’ll want a selection of different resins to make the most of your 3D printer.

Resin 3D printing is a little different from what you might think of as normal 3D printing. Most of the best 3D printers use a material called filament to produce prints, but some use reactive resin to create stunningly detailed models.

These printers use a special type of UV resin that comes in a variety of colors and chemical compositions, each of which can create a different type of end result. A lot of them are specialty resins that you aren’t likely to need every day, but it can get complicated when you’re searching for the right material. We’ve put together this helpful list of the best resins for you to choose from. The list will get updated as more resins are tested by our team.

Siraya Tech

Siraya Tech Fast

Best all-around resin you can buy

Siraya Tech Fast is the perfect balance of price per gallon and functionality. There are cheaper resins, but a lot of them tend to split or become sticky if handled improperly. Fast has been my go-to for the last few years and never lets me down when it comes to reliability.

I also use it for all of my resin 3D printer reviews so I know what each printer can handle. The smoky gray color is my favorite, but there are some amazing colors to choose from.

$37 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Siraya Tech Fast

Anycubic

Anycubic High Clear resin

Almost glass-like quality

The holy grail of clear resin is to stay clear after curing. When you add UV light to clear resin, it tends to turn slightly yellow, making it look more like nicotine-stained glass rather than freshly made. Anycubic’s high clear resin resists the yellowing of other clear resins and, as long as you don’t over-cure it, will maintain the clear look of crystal.

Pro tip: After you’ve cured the model, spray it with several coats of high gloss clear coat to really make it shine.

$40 at Anycubic

Sunlu

Sunlu 3D printer resin (4-pack)

A great bulk buy

When you’re just starting out it’s helpful to buy a bulk batch of inexpensive resins to get your collection started. This four-pack of 500 gram bottles of resin can be mixed and matched so you can have four different colors, perfect for creating different effects on your models.

$49 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Sunlu 3D printer resin (4-pack)

Elegoo

Elegoo plant-based resin

A great budget option

While Elegoo touts its plant-based resin as a nonirritant and safe, it is much better than any other resins in that regard. It should still be handled with gloves, respirator and goggles until it is fully cured.

It is, however, cheap, easy to use and gives reliable results for the price. I also like that the smell of resin is almost nonexistent with plant-based resins.

$15 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Elegoo plant-based resin

Anycubic

Anycubic tough resin

Make your models shatter-resistant

Resin can be quite brittle, and if you’re building parts that need to have stress exerted on them, a resin like the tough resin from Anycubic might help with its longevity.

The tough resin works the same as other resins but allows for some flexibility in the final model. This reduces the chances of it shattering into pieces like dry spaghetti.

$56 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Anycubic tough resin

Siraya Tech

Siraya Tech Cast

For jewelry-makers

One of the coolest things I’ve ever done with a resin printer is to make a cast for jewelry. I used some of this resin to print a Green Lantern ring, then took it to a friend of mine with a kiln. She wrapped it in plaster and fired it. The resin has a high wax content that helps it melt away, leaving a perfect mold behind for pouring silver.

This resin is not cheap, but if you’re interested in making your own jewelry and have access to a kiln, this may be for you.

$75 at Amazon

Get Price Alerts

You’re receiving price alerts for Siraya Tech Cast

3D printing resin FAQ

Resin 3D printing is a lot different from other types of additive manufacturing. It can be hazardous, but it is incredibly rewarding if you can get it right. Here are some of the frequently asked questions I get asked about the process.

Is 3D printing resin dangerous?

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes, if you’re careful it’s fine. Touching resin with your bare hands can give you chemical burns, and the more you handle it the more likely you are to become allergic to it. I now have to be extra careful, as I get swollen eyes if any liquid resin touches my skin. It’s no joke. Making sure you’re wearing the correct protective equipment is of vital importance when using resin. Minimally you should be using Nitrile gloves any time you’re handling uncured resin, though I would recommend a pair of safety glasses and a respirator to keep the toxins away.

Can I use normal resin from Michaels?

The type of resin you might see at Michaels or other craft stores is not the same as 3D printing resin. Most of those resins are two-part systems that chemically bond when mixed. UV resin cures under, you guessed it, UV light. It only does this under certain wavelengths, though, so not all resins will work. You will need to use resins specially labeled as 3D printing resins.

What happens if I don’t cure the model?

There are two main stages of curing for a resin-printed model. The first is the curing that happens inside the printer when the UV light hardens a layer of resin to form the model. The second happens after the model is finished. When you first take the model off the build plate you still need to use gloves to handle it, as the outside will be covered in uncured resin. You will need to wash the model in isopropyl alcohol — 90% or above is best — and then cure it one final time in a UV chamber or out in the sun. This will harden the outer surface and make it safe to handle.

If you don’t do that second cure, the model will stay sticky and be unsafe to handle. Even covering it in paint won’t stop it from being hazardous to you and everything around you, including animals and plants. I would recommend a wash-and-cure system to streamline that process.

Can I 3D print something in resin that is food/body safe?

No. 3D printing resin is never food-safe. While curing makes it safe to handle, it is never 100% and ingesting any amount of resin is a big no-no. The best way to make food-safe products from your resin prints is to make a silicone mold of them and use that to make food-safe resin products instead.

Are there different types of resin?

While all UV resins are essentially the same, some have different properties that help you achieve different results. Standard resin is great for a lot of projects but can be quite brittle. Some have a lot of flexibility but don’t lend themselves to fine detail, making them great for more practical prints. There are even resins that can be used to make denture molds, so the uses are endless.

Siraya Tech Fast — the best overall resin on our list — can be mixed with other types from the brand to create different properties so you can buy the cheaper resin and mix it with a small amount of more expensive resin with different properties.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, April 19

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 19

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: The Notorious ___ (longtime Supreme Court nickname)
Answer: RBG

4A clue: Islamic equivalent of kosher
Answer: HALAL

6A clue: Repent for one’s wrongs
Answer: ATONE

7A clue: Warrior with throwing stars called shuriken
Answer: NINJA

8A clue: Camera brand that really had a moment?
Answer: KODAK

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: 3:2 or 5:4
Answer: RATIO

2D clue: Like some light hair and light ales
Answer: BLOND

3D clue: Weed
Answer: GANJA

4D clue: Nickname for Henry
Answer: HANK

5D clue: News story from an undisclosed source
Answer: LEAK

Technologies

Apple Watch Battery Hacks That’ll Get You More Hours on a Charge

Seven settings you can tweak right now to add at least two more hours of battery life.

Charging my electronics at the end of each day was just as part of my routine as brushing my teeth. I’d set my iPhone and Apple Watch on their chargers, power down my screens and settle in for a night free of tracking and notifications.

That is, until sleep tracking complicated everything. The Apple Watch can record several important health metrics during sleep and look for indicators of sleep apnea, hypertension and even early signs of illness. It’s gotten too good to ignore.

My biggest challenge with this new sleeping arrangement has been battery life. The Apple Watch needs at least seven consecutive nights of sleep tracking to start analyzing the data. And even though the current Series 11 and last year’s Series 10 can last through a full day and a night of sleep tracking, they leave me with a dead watch around lunchtime if I don’t recharge.

After too many days of not receiving credit for midday workouts and obsessively watching the battery percentage drop, I began searching for every trick to maximize my Apple Watch’s battery life. And I’m guessing I’m not alone. Here’s what’s helped.

1. Charge as fast as possible

The first thing you can do without sacrificing any features is make sure you’re actually getting full fast charging speeds. The Series 10, Series 11, SE 3 and Ultra 3 all support superfast charging, but I realized I wasn’t using the right wattage wall adapter.

Apple doesn’t include a charging brick anymore, so if you plug your cable into whatever spare charger that’s lying around your kitchen (like me), you’re probably not charging your watch as quickly as you could. Apple recommends a 20-watt or higher USB-C power adapter, which should charge newer models from empty to full in less than an hour or provide enough juice for a full night of sleep tracking in five minutes — about as long as it takes to brush your teeth.

2. Gain a few more hours with a small trade-off

Extending your battery won’t come without some compromises, but the easiest sacrifice for me is turning off «Wake on Wrist Raise» and «Wake on Crown Rotation» in Settings. On watches with an always-on display, this simply means the screen remains in its dimmer «resting» state until you tap it intentionally, rather than lighting up every time you move your wrist or brush the crown.

It won’t work on older models that lack an always-on display, but if you have a compatible watch, it can easily add 4 extra hours of use. The only caveat is that you won’t see your notifications immediately. You’ll still receive the haptic alert, but you’ll need to tap in to view the notification, rather than simply tilting your wrist to see it appear.

To disable it, open the Settings app, go to Display & Brightness and then scroll all the way to the bottom and toggle off both options.

3. Dim the lights

Lower your screen brightness — it’s another small trade-off, but only on a sunny day. The watch comes out of the box with its brightness set around two-thirds of its peak level. The screen’s brightness will automatically adjust based on your environment, but you can force it to stay at the lowest setting. In the Display & Brightness settings, reduce the Brightness level to one bar.

Dimming your watch’s display can add one or two extra hours of battery life between charges, depending on where you spend your day and how often the screen wakes. The only times I miss having a bright screen are during outdoor runs in blazing sun. But sacrificing brightness for a longer battery life is by no means a deal-breaker.

4. Go for a bare-bones watch face

Switching to a simpler watch face can also help squeeze more life out of the battery. The more pixels your watch has to light up (think photo faces) or the more animation involved (hello, Memojis), the faster your battery drains. The same applies to constantly updating complications, such as the weather or your heart rate.

Apple doesn’t offer a battery-use score for its watch faces the way some Android watches do, but as a general rule of thumb, darker, simpler faces with fewer active elements last the longest. My go-tos are Activity Digital, which displays only my rings, or X-Large, which shows only the numbers.

5. Getting through Day 2 will cost you

A few extra hours of battery life are great, but sometimes even that isn’t enough to get me through the day. My biggest issue is running out of juice when I’m away from home and a charger is nowhere to be found. Even if your weekday routine includes an office charge, weekends are unpredictable, and it’s best to make it to the evening when you’re closer to your charger.

For me, the next-level compromise is turning off the always-on display. You’ll need to raise your wrist to wake the screen, but this feature can add up to 6 hours of battery life, depending on your model.

To turn it off, go to Settings, then select Display & Brightness and toggle off Always-On. Note that it also affects workouts, so if you prefer training with your heart rate zones or other stats visible at a glance, this might not be the best option.

6. Turn on low power mode as a last resort

If I really need to squeeze every last drop of battery life, I switch to low power mode once when the watch hits 15%. It’s actually easier to toggle on and off than the always-on display, since it’s accessible in the control panel via the side button. Tap the Battery Percentage button, then tap Low Power Mode.

Low power mode does more than just disable the always-on screen. It also delays notifications (only slightly), turns off auto-start for workouts (so you’ll need to start them manually) and pauses background measurements. Heart rate zone alerts, high/low and irregular rhythm notifications, and loud environment alerts are all disabled, too. However, during a workout, heart rate and pace are still measured.

7. Check the health of your battery

If you’re still experiencing poor battery life after trying all these troubleshooting tricks, it may simply be time to check your battery’s health. Even with the best habits, a worn-down battery can only do so much, and at some point an upgrade or replacement is the only real fix.

Older models tend to show wear sooner, but it’s not guaranteed. Charging patterns and overall use can take a toll on newer models, too. Having Apple replace the battery costs about $99, or you can put that money toward a newer model, like the SE 3, which starts at $249. If you have AppleCare Plus and your battery capacity is below 80%, the repair or replacement (if needed) is included.

To check your battery health, go to Settings> Battery, tap Battery Health, then scroll down to Maximum Capacity. Anything around or below 80% can start to cause noticeable issues.

Which Apple Watch model you have also matters for battery life

If you decide upgrading is your best choice, the Apple Watch Ultra line (especially the Ultra 3) offers the longest battery life by far. Apple says 42 hours per charge but I consistently hit closer to 48 hours without disabling features. The Series 11 is rated for up to 24 hours, although I typically get about 30 hours with a full night of sleep tracking and a 40-minute GPS workout.

Apple doesn’t advertise it, but larger-sized models generally last about two hours longer than smaller ones — so the 46mm Series 11 outperforms the 42mm. Models like the SE 3 or the Series 10 and older are rated for 18 hours with the always-on display enabled but I’ve pushed mine past the 22-hour mark.

Whatever mix of tricks you use (or whichever new model you start fresh with), here’s hoping you crack the battery routine and get the full benefit of everything the Apple Watch can do for your health.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 19, #1765

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for April 19, No. 1,765.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle has fairly common letters, so you might solve it right away. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.