SLA Resin · Optically Clear

SLA Clear Resin 3D Printing (Optically Clear)

Name: SLA Clear Resin 3D Printing
Brand: RYSE 3D

An optically clear SLA resin that polishes to near-transparency — built for light transmission and parts you need to see through. RYSE 3D prints Clear on the Formlabs Form 4L for smooth, detailed, transparent parts. The go-to resin for clear 3D printing when clarity and fine detail decide the part.

Quote in Clear → All SLA resins Clear resin datasheet (PDF) ↓

Also known as clear resin · transparent resin · optical resin · see-through resin · translucent resin

Overview

Optical clarity with SLA detail

Most 3D printing processes can’t do transparent. Clear resin can — it prints optically clear and polishes to near-transparency, so light passes through and internal features stay visible. That makes it the resin for clear 3D printing: lenses, light-pipes, fluidic devices and see-through housings with the fine detail and smooth surface only stereolithography delivers.

Printed and finished in-house on our Formlabs Form 4L, Clear comes off the machine smooth and translucent — then we sand, polish or clear-coat to the level of transparency your part needs, from frosted to near glass-clear. How clear a part ends up is a finishing decision as much as a material one, so tell us at quote which faces have to be seen through.

Technical data

Clear resin material properties

Headline properties for our SLA Clear (optically clear) resin.

Reviewed by the RYSE 3D engineering team · August 2026. Download the full datasheet below, or have it confirmed with your instant quote. Values vary with geometry and orientation.

Property	Value
Ultimate tensile strength	51 MPa
Elongation at break	10%
Heat deflection temperature	61 °C
Character	Optically clear, polishable
Colour	Transparent (clear)

Download Clear resin datasheet (PDF) ↓

Applications

What SLA Clear resin is used for

Where you need the detail of SLA 3D printing and light to pass through.

SLA clear resin 3D printed microfluidic devices and spiral channel test parts with internal features visible

Fluidic devices — internal channels visible through the wall

SLA clear resin 3D printed transparent mould tool with cast silicone part in place

Transparent mould tooling — watch the fill through the tool

Lenses & light-pipesFluidic & microfluidic devicesTransparent housingsLighting prototypesMoulds & casting mastersDisplay & appearance modelsOptical componentsSee-through coversRapid tooling

Why Clear

Why choose SLA Clear resin

●

Optically clear

Polishes to near-transparency for light transmission, optics and parts you need to see through.

●

Fluidics and light-pipes

Internal channels, chambers and features stay visible — ideal for fluidic devices and light guides.

●

Polishable and coatable

Sanded, polished or clear-coated in-house to the exact level of clarity your part needs.

●

Fine SLA detail

Sharp features and a smooth surface straight off the machine at 25–100 micron layers — the highest-resolution process we run.

●

Stiff and accurate

51 MPa tensile strength and true-to-CAD accuracy for functional, dimensionally stable prototypes.

●

Moulds and masters

Transparent rapid tooling and casting masters — watch fill, alignment and cure through the tool.

Design guidance

Designing for SLA Clear resin

Typical guidelines for SLA Clear on the Form 4L. Clarity is won in finishing as much as in printing, so orientation and support placement matter more here than on any other resin. We’ll confirm the specifics for your part with a free design-for-additive review at quote.

Design feature	Typical guideline
Build envelope (Form 4L)	353 × 196 × 350 mm
Layer thickness	25–100 microns
Minimum wall thickness	0.5 mm
Tolerance	±0.15 mm or ±0.2%
Optical faces	Tell us which they are. We orient in PreForm to keep supports off any surface that has to be seen through
Supports	Required for SLA — removed and finished in-house; contact points need polishing back on clear parts
Wall thickness and clarity	Thicker sections read more tinted than thin ones — keep see-through walls as thin as the part allows
Service temperature	Heat deflection is 61 °C — keep parts away from sustained heat and hot lighting
Finish	Smooth as-printed; sanded, polished or clear-coated to near-transparency on request

Our SLA platform

Printed on the Formlabs Form 4L in open mode

Every Clear part we ship is printed on the Formlabs Form 4L, washed on the Form Wash L and post-cured on the Form Cure L — print, wash, cure and finish all in-house. That matters more for a clear resin than any other: wash time, cure and hand polishing are what take a part from translucent to near glass-clear, and we control all three under one roof rather than sending work out.

We run the Form 4L in open mode, so we are not restricted to a single supplier’s resin range and can choose the right resin for your part rather than the one the machine came with. Build envelope is 353 × 196 × 350 mm.

Formlabs Form 4L SLA 3D printer with a large printed part on the build platform, the stereolithography process used at RYSE 3D — A large-format build coming off the Form 4L platform.

PreForm build layout showing a large SLA part oriented and supported inside the Formlabs Form 4L build volume at RYSE 3D — Oriented and supported in PreForm before it prints.

Formlabs Form 4L printer with Form Wash L and Form Cure L post-processing stations used for SLA parts at RYSE 3D — Print, wash and cure — the full SLA workflow under one roof.

Get an instant quote → About our SLA service

Honest limits

Where SLA Clear resin is the wrong call

Clear buys transparency and fine detail. It gives up heat resistance, toughness and a fair amount of finishing time. These are the cases where something else wins — told straight, so you don’t find out after the first batch.

Glass-clear straight off the machine

Parts come off translucent, not transparent. Near glass-clear takes sanding, polishing and clear-coating by hand, and that finishing time is real cost on a large or complex part. Tell us the clarity you need and we’ll price it properly.

Sustained heat

A 61 °C heat deflection temperature is the lowest of anything we print — lower still than Black PU at 70 °C. Not for hot lighting, enclosed electronics or anything near an engine.

Parts that get dropped

At 10% elongation Clear is far more brittle than Black PU at 79%. Where a transparent part will be handled hard, expect it to crack rather than flex — design in thickness or choose a tougher grade.

Certified optics

This is a prototyping and low-volume optical material, not a certified optical medium. We can’t hold a refractive index specification or an optical surface tolerance — if your part needs either, talk to us before you order.

Parts over 350 mm

The Form 4L platform is 353 × 196 × 350 mm, and a bonded joint in a clear part is visible. Beyond that size, transparency and a single piece are hard to have together.

Long-term outdoor exposure

Like most photopolymers, clear resin is best kept out of prolonged direct sunlight if appearance matters over time. For outdoor housings, an FDM grade is the more durable route — though not a transparent one.

Compare

SLA Clear vs Black PU vs SLS PA12

Clear is the only transparent material we print, so if light has to pass through the part the comparison is already over. Where it doesn’t, Black PU is far tougher on the same machine, and SLS PA12 gives support-free end-use parts. Full range on all 3D printing materials.

Property	Clear (this page)	Black PU	SLS PA12
Transparency	Optically clear	Opaque black	Opaque grey
Ultimate tensile strength	51 MPa	40 MPa	42 MPa
Elongation at break	10%	79%	25%
Heat deflection	61 °C	70 °C	161 °C @ 0.45 MPa
Minimum wall thickness	0.5 mm	0.5 mm	1 mm
Supports required	Yes	Yes	No
Best for	Optics, fluidics & see-through parts	Detail plus handling toughness	End-use parts, complex geometry

Note: figures are quoted by different test methods across SLA and SLS and are indicative of family rather than a like-for-like ranking. SLS PA12 heat deflection is quoted at 0.45 MPa; at 1.8 MPa it falls to 46 °C.

SLA

SLA Black PU

The tough, cast-urethane-like resin — 79% elongation for parts that get handled.

Explore Black PU → SLA

All SLA Resins

Clear, tough, flexible, high-temp, flame-retardant and ESD resins.

See SLA resins → All

All 3D Printing Materials

Every material across SLS, MJF, FDM and SLA.

See all materials →

FAQ

SLA Clear Resin FAQ

What is SLA clear resin?

Clear is an optically clear SLA resin that polishes to near-transparency. RYSE 3D prints it on the Formlabs Form 4L for smooth, detailed transparent parts — from lenses and light-pipes to fluidic devices and see-through housings. Tensile strength is 51 MPa with a 61 °C heat deflection temperature.

How clear are SLA clear resin parts?

Translucent off the machine, near glass-clear once finished. The final clarity is a finishing decision: sanding, polishing and clear-coating each take the part further towards full transparency, and we finish to whatever level your part needs. Thinner walls read clearer than thick sections, and any face a support touched has to be polished back.

Can you 3D print lenses and light-pipes?

Yes — light-pipes, light guides, lenses and lighting prototypes are among the most common uses for this resin, and we polish the optical faces in-house. It is a prototyping and low-volume optical material rather than a certified optical medium, so we can’t hold a refractive index specification. Send the part and we’ll tell you honestly whether it will do what you need.

What is clear resin used for?

Lenses and light-pipes, fluidic and microfluidic devices, transparent housings, lighting prototypes, moulds and casting masters, display and appearance models, optical components, see-through covers and rapid tooling.

How strong is clear resin?

51 MPa tensile strength — stronger than our Black PU resin at 40 MPa. The catch is ductility: at 10% elongation at break it is markedly more brittle than Black PU at 79%, so a clear part that gets knocked is more likely to crack than flex.

How heat resistant is clear resin?

Heat deflection is 61 °C, the lowest figure of anything we print. That suits ambient and mild service temperatures, but rules out hot lighting, enclosed electronics and engine-bay work. For heat with a transparent look, talk to us before you order.

Can clear resin be used for moulds and casting?

Yes, and the transparency is the point — you can watch fill, alignment and cure happen through the tool rather than guessing. Clear is regularly used for rapid tooling, casting masters and short-run moulds where seeing inside the tool saves iterations.

Where can I find clear resin material properties and a datasheet?

The key material properties are listed above, and you can download the full Clear resin datasheet (PDF) or have it confirmed with your instant online quote.

How do I order clear resin parts in the UK?

Upload your CAD to our instant online quote and select SLA Clear. As a UK 3D printing service bureau we print, finish and inspect every part in-house in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, and ship UK-wide — from a polished optical prototype to a production batch of transparent parts.

Get your clear resin parts priced in seconds.

Upload your CAD for an instant online quote in SLA Clear resin — from a polished optical prototype to a production batch of transparent parts. Printed and finished in the UK.

Get an instant quote → See all SLA resins

Printed and finished at our own ISO 9001 facility in Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire. Call us on 024 7736 0144.