Stereolithography
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According to Formlabs, “stereolithography (SLA) print process, and see how Formlabs prints compare to parts made from an extrusion-based fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer: Form 1+ is a stereolithography 3D printer. Today, we’re going to look at how it works and put it to the test against parts from an extrusion-based machine. Let’s start by taking a closer look at the printer. We can see a built platform inside when we open the light-blocking cover. This metal plate is where the parts are made; underneath the build platform is a liquid resin tank. This transparent window gives the ultraviolet laser a path to cure the resin.
To start a print, we’ll upload a file and fill the resin tank to the indicator line. You can see the laser passing back and forth inside, hardening the liquid plastic. Now, We’ll take our printout and wash it in rubbing alcohol to get the excess resin off. The flower has supported, and we’ll snip them off to finish the piece.
Stereolithography produces extreme detail, with layers four times finer than human hair. The Form 1+ lets us take advantage of a library of materials, so we made some other parts to show what these resins can do. A Castable Resin gives jewelers and engineers an inexpensive way to produce metal parts. This Flexible Resin is excellent for simulating different textures; as we can see, this Tough Resin can take a hit.”
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