SLA - Stereolithography
SLA Applications
Prototypes, Tools and Production Parts
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Design verification models for appearance and proof-of-concept models
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Functional prototypes and models for form and fit testing
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Wind-tunnel test models
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High clarity, transparent products and components
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Complex assemblies
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Under-the-hood components
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Mass customization
General
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Investment casting patterns
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Sacrificial patterns for metal casting
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Custom assembly jigs and fixtures
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Tools, moulds and dies
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Cast urethane/vacuum casting master patterns
Tooling and patterns
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Surgical tools/guides
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Dental appliances
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Hearing aids
Biocompatible materials
Because SLA parts can require support structures, they often require post-processing, which opens opportunities for new part characteristics. SLA parts can be vapor honed, or bead or sand blasted, and can even be electroplated with metal, such as nickel. Electroplating makes SLA parts significantly stronger, and also makes parts electrically conductive and more dimensionally stable in moist environments.
SLA is all about precision and accuracy, so it is often used when form, fit, and assembly are critical. The tolerances on SLA parts are typically less than 0.05 mm, and SLA offers the smoothest surface finish of any additive manufacturing process. With the quality SLA can achieve, it is particularly useful for creating highly precise casting patterns (e.g., for injection molding, casting, and vacuum casting) as well as functional prototypes, presentation models, and form and fit testing. SLA technology is extremely versatile and can be used in any number of areas where precision is paramount.
SLA also offers a speed advantage when you require a variety of functional prototypes or quick access to casting patterns. SLA’s winning combination of speed and precision make it an excellent choice for evaluating prototypes. The accuracy of SLA means your prints are faithful to the final design, allowing you to identify and correct design flaws, collisions, and potential mass-manufacturing hurdles before production begins. SLA provides comparable characteristics to parts normally machined from polypropylene or ABS for low- to mid-volume production, and doesn’t require slow, expensive retooling for customization or required tooling changes. SLA also allows for reduced material costs, as any unused resin remains in the vat, ready for future projects.
3D Systems is the inventor of Stereolithography (SLA) and the only SLA manufacturer offering the total solution with integrated hardware, software and materials fine-tuned to achieve renowned SLA parts quality, legendary precision, repeatability and reliability. SLA printers work with a wide range of materials, with a range of sizes and price points, which are designed for prototyping, end-use part production, casting patterns, moulds, tooling, fixtures and medical models.
SLA Material Properties & Uses
SLA materials are available in a wide range of mechanical properties and can produce parts with characteristics similar to injection-molded ABS or polypropylene, suitable for applications such as snap-fit assemblies, automotive styling components, and master patterns, as well as higher-temperature applications and exceptional clarity. SLA materials for higher-temperature applications and clear materials with polycarbonate-like properties are also available. Our SLA material portfolio also includes biocompatible materials suitable for a wide range of medical applications such as surgical tools, dental appliances, and hearing aids. Other SLA materials have been specifically formulated for sacrificial investment casting patterns, offering low ash creation and high accuracy, while also being expendable.
Our Accura SLA resins offer the most accurate fit/form prototypes for design verification before committing to production. High accuracy and excellent surface finish makes these resins the preferred choice for designer models, engineering verification, and master patterns for silicone and rubber moulds.
Expendable resins specifically formulated for
QuickCast sacrificial patterns for investment casting.
Heat deflection temperatures up to over 215˚C (419°F) offering exceptional performance under extreme conditions.
SLA Printers
We offer an integrated additive manufacturing solution for SLA including hardware, software, and materials, fine-tuned to achieve the gold standard in surface finish and accuracy. The edge definition, tolerances, and accuracy of our SLA parts rival machined or moulded plastic parts.
Our SLA printers build accurate parts directly from 3D CAD data without tooling by converting liquid materials and composites into solid cross-sections, layer-by-layer, using an ultraviolet laser. The print bed then lowers, the part is coated with a new layer of resin, and the next layer is built on top of the previous until the part is complete. Once printed, the part is cleaned in a solvent solution to remove any wet resin remaining on the part’s surface. Then the part is put in a UV oven to complete the curing process. Our SLA production printers offer high throughput, build sizes up to 1524 mm, unmatched part resolution and accuracy, and a wide range of print materials. No process addresses a wider range of applications, including the most demanding rapid manufacturing applications.
The ProJet 6000 HD SLA 3D printer puts the unmatched capabilities of Stereolithography 3D printing technology, fine-tuned for cost-efficiency and unrivalled material availability, into a smaller footprint. 3D Print SLA parts with unrivaled accuracy and surface finish.
SLA Quality in a Compact Footprint
3D print with fine feature detail in a wide choice of performance engineered materials that match or exceed traditional plastic properties. Easily swap between material modules for flexible use.
High Flexibility
Affordable SLA Quality in a Smaller Footprint
ProJet 6000 HD
Get the exceptional part quality and accuracy of 3D Systems SLA with crisply defined features, precise geometries and smooth surfaces.
Exceptional Part Quality
The ProJet 7000 HD 3D printer builds on the unrivaled advantages of Stereolithography (SLA) allowing for single large-sized or series of smaller-sized additive manufactured prototypes, patterns and end-use parts up to 380 x 380 x 250 mm (15 x 15 x 10 in) in size. Print with fine feature detail in a wide choice of performance engineered materials that match or exceed traditional plastic properties.
Versatility
Mid-Range Solution for SLA Quality and Accuracy
ProJet 7000 HD
The SLA 750 delivers superior surface quality and accuracy at every point across large builds, with superior detail resolution, wall smoothness, and incremental fidelity.
A New Standard for SLA Production Throughput, Quality, and Capability
Production-grade photopolymer materials, advanced software workflow, and optimized laser scanning technology combine to deliver a high throughput, automation-capable solution for production SLA.
High-Speed Solution for Production Manufacturing
SLA 750
The advanced ProX 950 SLA 3D printer produces high quality, extra-large (up to 1500 mm long) plastic parts with accuracy and surface quality achievable only with Stereolithography technology. With the high capacity that this part production system offers, you can additively manufacture low to medium batches of smaller parts at a lower per-unit cost and build massive, highly detailed pieces faster.
SLA Quality and Productivity with Extra-Large Capacity
SLA 3D Printing in Extra-Large Format
ProX 950
