Stereolithography (SLA) is an additive manufacturing process that belongs to the vat photopolymerization family. Also known as resin 3D printing, there are three main 3D printing technologies associated with vat polymerization: SLA, DLP and LCD. The three technologies all use a light source to cure a photopolymer resin but with the following differences:
Stereolithography (SLA) uses UV lasers as a light source to selectively cure a polymer resin.
Digital light processing (DLP) uses a digital projector as a UV light source to cure a layer of resin.
Liquid crystal display (LCD) uses an LCD display module for projecting specific light patterns.
SLA is one of the most widely used vat photopolymerization technologies. It creates objects by selectively curing a polymer resin, layer by layer, using an ultraviolet (UV) laser beam. The materials used in SLA are photosensitive thermoset polymers that come in a liquid form.
Patented in 1986, SLA was the first 3D printing technology. And even today, SLA is still the most cost-effective 3D printing technology available when parts of very high accuracy or smooth surface finish are needed. The best results come when a designer takes advantage of the benefits and limitations of the manufacturing process.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing process that belongs to the powder bed fusion family. In SLS 3D printing, a laser selectively sinters the particles of a polymer powder, fusing them together and building a part, layer by layer. The materials used in SLS are thermoplastic polymers that come in a granular form.
Overall, SLS is a versatile solution, especially if you want to hold off on injection molding and its exorbitant startup costs. It's definitely more cost-efficient for producing high-quality components in reasonable amounts (fewer than 1,000 units) to test how well your product or technology fares before making expensive molds and tools.
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing* , also known as fused filament fabrication (FFF), is an additive manufacturing (AM) process within the realm of material extrusion. FDM builds parts layer by layer by selectively depositing melted material in a predetermined path. It uses thermoplastic polymers that come in filaments to form the final physical objects.
Composing the largest installed base of 3D printers worldwide, FDM is the most widely used technology across most industries, and likely the first process you think of when 3D printing comes up.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is a laser-based technology of metal 3D printing that uses powdered metals. The combination of a fine-tuned laser, powder and advanced additive processes form a powerful design freedom. DMLS metals offer similar properties that industries such as aerospace, medical, and energy heavily rely on for efficient production.
Metal 3D printing is the ideal alternative to complex designs that machining or casting can’t achieve as it offers the mechanical properties of aerospace standard materials and the design freedom of additive manufacturing. Produce complex geometries ideal for prototypes, low-volume parts, and end-use parts without the need for traditional manufacturing processes such as machining and casting.
Vacuum Casting is a process in which a liquid material is drawn into a silicone mold whilst using a vacuum, to create complex components. The liquid materials used for vacuum casting are elastomers such as plastic and rubber.
Vacuum casting is sometimes referred to as polyurethane casting or urethane casting as polyurethane resin, a type of elastomer, is used as the casting material. Vacuum casting is an economical alternative to injection molding for making plastic components as the production cost of vacuum casting is comparatively lower.
Vacuum casting is an excellent production process for batch production and other low-volume production jobs. In India, Vacuum casting is heavily used in the FMCG and consumer product manufacturing as well as industrial electronics production.
3D scanning is a process of analyzing an object from the real world, to collect all the data in order to recreate its shape and appearance, digitally. Thanks to this process, the object can become a 3D model, which could help you as a base for the 3D project you are about to develop, but it can also be useful to reconstruct, analyze, or simulate ideas.
Different machines and methods exist to 3D scan objects. You might not know it, but there are different ways possible to create a digital version of a real object. We are going to see more in detail of how each of them works. There are a lot of different 3D scanning methods, but today, we will focus on three of them, that we can consider as the main ones: Laser 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and structured light scanning. The choice of the 3D scanning technique will be made regarding your project or its context.
3D product modeling is the process of creating a digital representation of a physical product using specialized software. This technique allows designers to craft a lifelike model that can be manipulated and examined from various angles, providing a comprehensive view of the product.
