Stereolithography 3D Printing Services
Stereolithography (SLA) is a 3D printing technology that uses a UV laser to cure and solidify layers of liquid photopolymer resin, building precise and highly detailed parts layer by layer. Known for its exceptional accuracy, SLA can achieve fine details and smooth surface finishes, making it ideal for intricate designs and tight tolerances. SLA is widely used for creating functional prototypes, master patterns, and visually appealing presentation models.
Why use Stereolithography?
Using Stereolithography (SLA), we can build accurate parts with an excellent surface finish using a liquid epoxy resin. High quality parts can be sanded smooth and painted, making this technology suitable for mock-ups and prototypes.
SLA offers a highly detailed solution for engineers seeking to transform their design ideas into reality with exceptional accuracy and reliability.
Benefits of SLA
Benefits
- Accuracy
- Good surface finish
- Can build larger components
Best suited for
- Concept models
- Prototypes
- Lenses
- Parts for metal plating
- Jigs and dies
- Tooling and composite tooling
Materials for SLA
- PerFORM
- Watershed
- AMX
Using stereolithography (SLA), we build accurate parts with a good surface finish using a liquid epoxy resin. Parts can be sanded smooth and painted, making this technology suitable for mock-ups and prototypes.
With the right material, SLA can also be used to create jigs and tools to aid manufacturing.
High Precision and Detail
- Stereolithography (SLA) produces parts with exceptional accuracy and fine details, making it ideal for applications requiring tight tolerances and intricate designs.
- With layer heights as low as a few microns, SLA can achieve smooth surface finishes straight from the printer, reducing the need for post-processing.
Versatile Material Options
- SLA offers a wide range of photopolymer resins, including tough, flexible, and clear materials, catering to diverse application needs from durable functional prototypes to aesthetically pleasing models.
- Specific resins like DSM PerFORM and Watershed XC 11122 are suited for high-temperature or detailed prototypes, enhancing the versatility of SLA.
Ideal for Prototyping and Master Patterns
- The high level of detail and surface quality achievable with SLA makes it perfect for creating master patterns for molding and casting, as well as visual presentation models.
- SLA's capability to accurately reproduce complex designs allows for efficient iterative prototyping, helping to shorten development cycles and refine products before mass production.
Applications
Applications in high-performance industries:
Motorsport
- SLA produces highly detailed and precise scaled models of car bodies and aerodynamic components for wind tunnel testing. The fine resolution and smooth surface finish help accurately analyze airflow and optimize designs for reduced drag and improved performance.
- Intake manifolds, brackets, and housings.
Marine Racing
- SLA is employed to create intricate and precise models of boat hulls and underwater appendages for hydrodynamic testing. These models are essential for testing and refining designs to achieve optimal water flow characteristics and reduce drag.
- Propeller blades, fins, and rudders.
Advantages
Engineering advantages:
Functional Prototyping
Engineers use SLA to create functional prototypes of complex parts such as intake manifolds, brackets, and housings. These prototypes can be tested for form, fit, and function, allowing for rapid iteration and optimization.
Custom Fixtures and Tooling
Custom jigs, fixtures, and tooling components are produced using SLA to ensure precision and efficiency in the manufacturing and assembly processes. The ability to quickly produce these tools aids in reducing downtime and improving overall workflow.
The Stereolithography build process
The SLA process uses a vat of UV-curable liquid resin which is cured by a laser to build parts one thin layer at a time. The laser ‘draws’ a single layer cross-section of the part on the top surface of the liquid resin, curing and solidifying it whilst joining it to the layer below.
Once a layer has been drawn and cured, the SLA machine’s platform is lowered by an amount equal to the depth of one layer. This then allows the re-coater blade to sweep across the vat, spreading another layer of fresh resin, ready for the laser to draw on. In this way a whole three-dimensional part is built up. Once completed, the build is drained, washed in a chemical bath to remove the excess resin, and then finished to the customer’s specifications.
The SLA process overview
Preparation
A 3D CAD model is created and converted into an STL file format suitable for 3D printing.
The model is sliced into thin layers using specialized software, generating the toolpath for the printer.
Material Loading
A liquid photopolymer resin is loaded into the printer’s build tank. The resin is sensitive to UV light, which solidifies it upon exposure.
Printing
The build platform is submerged into the resin tank, just below the surface of the liquid.
A UV laser traces the first layer of the model on the surface of the resin, curing and solidifying the material wherever it strikes. After the first layer is cured, the build platform lowers by one layer thickness, and a recoater blade spreads a new layer of resin over the previous one.The UV laser continues to trace and cure each subsequent layer, fusing it to the layer below, gradually building the part from the bottom up.
This process is repeated layer by layer until the entire model is formed.Post-processing
Once the build is complete, the part is removed from the build platform and excess resin is drained away.
The part typically undergoes a post-curing process under UV light or in a curing oven to ensure it reaches its maximum strength and durability.
The printed part may require additional post-processing steps such as washing in a solvent bath to remove any uncured resin, sanding, or other finishing processes to achieve the desired surface quality and functionality.
