How to choose your 3D printing technology: Experts give their advice!

Whether you are a beginner or an expert in additive manufacturing, it is not easy to choose the right 3D printing technology. From Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) or metal deposition, there is no shortage of choice. Each technology works with different materials and consequently will offer different results. So what should you consider when starting out in 3D printing? If you are wondering which 3D technology you should choose, continue reading as we interviewed three experts in additive manufacturing to guide your choice.

A bit more about our experts

We spoke to Artem Arno, the CEO at Treatstock, the e-commerce platform initially created in 2016 that provides 3D printing services for small to medium-sized businesses. Their aim has been to provide these SMBs with new sales leads by reaching out to worldwide markets using their platform. We also spoke to Ken Burns, the Technical Sales Director at Forecast 3D. Forecast 3D is the company that provides custom manufacturing and 3D printing services to a wide variety of industries including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, consumer goods and design. He told us that he partners with customers from all industries to bring their products from 2D to 3D. Last but not least, we spoke to Alec Richter, a Marketing Associate at MatterHackers, one of the largest 3D printing retailer in the US. His day-to-day activities include printing out assets using nearly every 3D printer carried by MatterHackers, troubleshooting the print settings or the printers themselves in order to make those assets, and occasionally answering technical questions about the harder to identify problems that can be experienced when 3D printing.