Last year when San Francisco startup Kudo3D launched a Kickstarter campaign for their Titan 1 SLA 3D Printer it almost sounded too good to be true. Not only was the campaign promising lightning fast build speeds but it was offering some extraordinarily part resolution. Additionally, it was priced to excite, and early backers of the project would be able to get a Titan 1 for less than $2,000. Thankfully it wasn’t too good to be true, and after exceeding their funding goal and raising almost $700,000 the Titan 1 went into production and was quickly delivered.
The secret to the Titan 1’s printing detail and speed was their Passive Self-Peeling (PSP) SLA technology that minimizes the separation force between the cured layers and the vat of resin. This greatly reduces the time it takes to cure and solidify the resin as well as providing some pretty impressive levels of part resolution and detail. The PSP process uses flexible resin containers that allow objects with details as fine as thread to be printed on the same machine as a larger object up to ten inches tall. With this process the Titan 1 only requires a single stepper motor to operate, making the machine simpler to assemble, repair and use.
When Kudo3D launched the retail version of the Titan 1 they also offered several accessories that could be purchased separately or as part of a package. They included a Post-Curing LED Lamp so the finished SLA models wouldn’t need to be set in the sun to be used; the lamp is faster and more efficient because the light is bombarding the model from all sides. 
They also offered replacement resin vats that could be swapped out mid-job to allow for multi-color prints, as well as additional build platforms that would allow the Titan 1 to 3D print almost continuously without having to do anything except swap out the platform and vat.
Now Kudo3D is offering two different silicone resin containers that can be mixed and matched on the Titan 1 based on the project being printed. The Soft Silicone Resin Container and the Hard Silicone Resin Container are now available in the Kudo3D store, and can be purchased individually, in pairs or they can be mixed and matched so Titan 1 users can have one of each. Each of the different vats offers different properties that allow the SLA 3D printer to offer even greater versatility and part quality.
The Soft Silicone Resin Container offers stronger adhesion between the vat and the teflon film that facilitates the PSP process. This is ideal for smaller prints that require more surface detail quality like miniatures or jewelry. The soft vat is not well-suited for larger prints or prints that require even, flat surfaces and the larger the object the higher the chance that the teflon film will warp. The Hard Silicone Resin Container on the other hand may offer weaker adhesion between the silicone and teflon, but it significantly reduces the possibility of warping which extends the life of the vat. The hard vat is ideal for larger prints that require precise flat surfaces.
Kudo3D is selling individual resin vats and a new build platform for $154.00 for either a soft silicon vat or a hard silicone vat. They are also selling pairs of resin vats without the build platform for $118, and you can select two of the same types of vats, or one of each soft or hard vats. And of course you can purchase your own Titan 1 SLA 3D Printer here.
Have you used this new vat? Let us know in the Kudo3D Resin Vat forum on 3DPB.com.
