My Deep Dive into Flexible Resin: Siraya Tech vs. My Trusted Elegoo ABS-like
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My Deep Dive into Flexible Resin: Siraya Tech vs. My Trusted Elegoo ABS-like
I've been using Elegoo ABS-like 3.0 for a while now, and while I love it, I've always wanted to explore ways to make my miniatures even more durable. I recently got my hands on Siraya Tech's flexible resin, and I decided to put it head-to-head against my usual Elegoo to see if that extra flexibility makes a real-world difference. I wanted to see how it handled printing, cleaning, stress, and, most importantly, painting and gluing.
Here is what I found after running a series of real-world stress tests!
1. Print Settings & Supports
Right out of the gate, I noticed a huge difference in the recommended print settings. My standard Elegoo setup is pretty quick—about a 35-second initial layer and 2.8 seconds for the main layers. The Siraya Tech, however, needed significantly more time: 60 seconds for the initial layers and 7 seconds for the intermediate layers. If you switch to a flexible resin like this, be prepared for a longer print time!
When it came to cleaning the parts, support removal was a bit cleaner on the Elegoo. The Siraya Tech supports required a tad more cleanup, but I was relieved to see no noticeable damage to the model itself. A little light sanding would take care of the minor nippling, so no major complaints here.
2. The Stress Test: Flexibility vs. Snap
This was the test I was most excited about. I printed a thin blade piece to see how much force it could take before snapping.
I started with the Elegoo. I applied pressure to the blade, and while it had some flex, it ultimately snapped. It definitely has a good degree of toughness, but it breaks under enough strain.
Then I tried the Siraya Tech piece. Pulling on it, the difference was immediately apparent. It flexed significantly more before it finally gave way and snapped. The Siraya Tech definitely wins on sheer flexibility, which is a big point in its favor for those long, thin, fragile parts on a miniature.
3. The Drop Test
For the durability test, I dropped a larger, solid print (with some weight behind it) from about four feet onto hard concrete. I dropped both the Elegoo and the Siraya Tech models.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), both parts broke at the exact same location: a very thin, known weak joint on the model. When there's a heavy impact on a thin area with weight behind it, it seems both resins react similarly and simply snap. While the Siraya Tech had more flex than the Elegoo, that didn't translate into saving the model from a high-impact break at its weakest point.
4. Paint and Glue Adhesion
A resin can be as tough as nails, but if paint won't stick, it’s useless for a mini-painter. I primed both models with Army Painter white primer to test the adhesion.
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Paint: I tried to scratch the cured paint off using an extra stiff-bristled toothbrush. I started light, increased pressure, and then scrubbed really hard. The paint held up perfectly! To really push it, I hit both with steel wool, which—as expected—left scratches, but the paint's base adhesion was rock solid on both the flexible Siraya Tech and the Elegoo.
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Glue: I then glued magnets onto a flat support structure from each print to test the bond strength. Initially, the Elegoo held the magnet incredibly well, while the Siraya Tech popped off much more easily. However, upon closer inspection of the failed Siraya Tech test, I realized the glue itself had separated from the smooth surface of the magnet, not from the resin! This means the glue actually adhered perfectly to the resin on both types.
Final Verdict
All in all, I was really happy with the Siraya Tech flexible resin. It definitely offers a noticeable boost in flexibility over the already decent Elegoo ABS-like. It stood up to paint and glue tests just as well, only requiring significantly longer exposure times.
One important takeaway: the grey Siraya Tech I used isn't their most flexible resin, even though it's grouped with them. Knowing that I still saw an increase in performance makes me think their even more flexible blends could be a real game-changer for high-durability prints. If you're looking for an added layer of peace-of-mind against bumps and drops for your miniatures, giving a flexible resin like this a try is definitely worth the extra cure time!
You can check out the full video showing all the tests and breaks here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Ru3ElGYwY
Elegoo Resin https://amzn.to/3IMR8ND
Siraya Tech Resin https://amzn.to/3IMR8ND
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