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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Pope Francis’ Funeral: How to Stream Live or Watch the Replay

Here’s how to stream the pope’s funeral very early Saturday, and what you can expect to see during the service.

After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, the pope’s funeral will be celebrated on Saturday . Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City (which is very, very early if you’re tuning in from the US or Canada), and he will be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

The Vatican will be livestreaming the papal funeral and procession, though not the burial, on its YouTube channel as it happens. The funeral will also be televised live on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, as well as on streaming services like Disney Plus, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount Plus. Due to the time difference, it seems likely that many interested North American viewers will catch it when it’s replayed later on Saturday. Numerous networks will rebroadcast the service later that day.

If you choose to stay up, or get up early, here’s when the live broadcast of the pope’s funeral will air in your time zone in the continental US on April 26:

ET: 4 a.m.
CT: 3 a.m.
MT: 2 a.m.
PT: 1 a.m.

The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.

What to expect from the funeral

The funeral will follow many rituals, though not all traditional protocols will be followed. Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but the AP reports Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).

His funeral will be less elaborate than those of other popes per his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).

Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and not to be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.

The coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the service. After the service, the coffin will return to St Peter’s Basilica before it is carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial. The ceremony is estimated to end around 2 p.m. local time, or four hours after it begins.

Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine days of consecutive mourning. According to Vatican News, a different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.

Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?

Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.

US president Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social Platform that he and first lady Melania Trump will be at the funeral. This will be Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. He is expected to have a seat in the third row, though the Vatican has yet to release an official seating chart. It is tradition for the first row of seats to go to Catholic royalty, and the second row to non-Catholic royals.

Prince William, who is attending on behalf of King Charles, will sit in the second row, which is reserved for non-Catholic royals. Former president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, devout Catholics, will also attend the funeral.

Conclave: What happens next to choose the new pope

After Pope Francis’ funeral, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will vote on his successor in an assembly of cardinals known as a conclave.

There are many matters for the cardinals to settle before the conclave begins, but once it does, it can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.

Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope

Look for the white smoke

The ballots are burned after each round, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, the chemicals will be added to the flames so they produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.

If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in 2024 film Conclave.

In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is completely fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.

You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 26, #685

Hints and answers for Connections for April 26, #685.

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

Today’s Connections puzzle features a lot of short words, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That purple category requires a lot of thinking — probably most people will solve it only by solving the other three and having four words left over. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Rainbow.

Green group hint: San Fernando ____.

Blue group hint: Think Robert.

Purple group hint: Mixed-up hue words.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Tint.

Green group: Valley.

Blue group: Bobs.

Purple group: Color anagrams.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is tint. The four answers are color, hue, shade and tone.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is valley. The four answers are dale, dell, glen and hollow.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Bobs. The four answers are Dole, Hope, Marley and Ross.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is color anagrams. The four answers are Dre (red), Gary (gray), genre (green) and lube (blue).

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 26, #215

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 215, for Saturday, April 26.

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

Connections: Sports Edition is tough today. The purple category theme threw me because of one phrase I didn’t know. And let’s hope you’re familiar with college coach surnames. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Try to achieve.

Green group hint: Move through it.

Blue group hint: Sideline bosses.

Purple group hint: Like a carton.