High Temp Resin: density, exposure and when to choose it
High Temp Resin differs from other resins not in mechanics but in heat resistance: its heat deflection temperature (HDT) reaches 200+°C after full thermal post-cure, versus 50–60°C for regular resins. That makes it a material for molds and tooling that are themselves exposed to heat — not just parts that look good at room temperature.
Key properties
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Density (cured) | ≈1.20 g/cm³ |
| Exposure | 405 nm (LCD/DLP) |
| Post-cure | 120–180 sec UV chamber + additional thermal cure in an oven per manufacturer protocol |
| Printer type | MSLA/LCD, DLP |
| Post-processing | IPA wash 4–6 min + UV post-cure + thermal cure in an oven (the key step for unlocking HDT) |
| Toxicity before curing | the liquid resin irritates skin and is toxic on contact — gloves and ventilation are mandatory |
When to use it
- Injection molds for small plastic parts in short runs.
- Heat-resistant tooling and fixtures exposed to hot air or steam.
- Prototypes of parts operating near a heat source (housings near a motor, electronics).
- Small-batch press molds for sheet plastic thermoforming.
When to pick something else
- The part isn't exposed to heat in service — the High Temp Resin premium won't pay off; use Standard Resin or ABS-like Resin.
- The mold is for a large injection-molding production run — industrial aluminum or steel is more reliable than resin regardless; resin only suits small batches and prototypes.
- You need impact resistance together with heat resistance — a rare combination; Tough Resin is the closest by mechanics, but check the actual HDT in its spec sheet.
Pros and cons
Pros: high HDT after full thermal cure, unattainable for regular resins and most FDM plastics, lets you print molds and tooling for real production heat exposure, holds geometric accuracy at elevated temperature.
Cons: one of the most expensive resins per liter, requires a separate oven thermal post-cure step, without which heat resistance isn't unlocked and the part behaves like ordinary brittle resin, increased brittleness at room temperature, a long full post-processing cycle.
Calculate your price in a minute
Free calculator: part weight, print time, material price — no sign-up needed.
App Store
Google Play
RuStoreHow it affects your print cost
High Temp Resin sits at the top of the resin price range, and on top of that comes the mandatory thermal-oven step — separate equipment and time that other resin types don't need. If the oven can't thermal-cycle several models at once, that's a throughput bottleneck to factor into your lead-time and pricing calculations. Economically the material is justified only when high HDT is genuinely needed — on less demanding jobs it just raises the order price with no benefit.