03/08/2026
We have become aware that some of our recent resin 3D-printed models can become very soft when exposed to water, resulting in warping. A customer reported the issue to us after leaving a model to soak in cold water with washing up liquid after sanding, to clean the model. In summary, the advice is:
* Do not leave models soaking in water, instead giving them a brief wash then leaving them to dry
* If a model absorbs water and becomes soft, leave it to dry naturally for at least 24 hours, preferably in an orientation where the weight will not cause distortion
The issue occurs as a result of the resin material absorbing water, and the effect is most noticeable if the model is left to soak for a long period of time. This can occur in both warm and cold water, and based the customer report and subsequent experimentation, appears to be exacerbated by the presence washing up liquid.
The material will regain its strength once fully dried out, and will generally return to its original shape if the warping is not significant. We advise that you do NOT leave attempt to speed up the drying using a radiator (the heat will further weaken the material) or by leaving it in the sun (UV will cause damage to unpainted models).
This is linked to a change in the resin material we use, which was driven by a desire to reduce the brittleness of the models. We had already made further changes to the resin used in the last week to achieve even better material properties, and have confirmed the current resin is much less affected by water exposure.
If you have a model that has experienced unrecoverable damage as a result of this issue, please get in touch with us to organise a replacement.
