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All You Need to Know About Resin 3D Printing
Resin 3D printing, also known as vat photopolymerization, is one of the most popular families of 3D printing technologies. It offers precise, detailed and high-quality results, making it a popular choice in many industrial sectors, such as jewelry, dentistry and…
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Resin 3D printing, also known as vat photopolymerization, is one of the most popular families of 3D printing technologies. It offers precise, detailed and high-quality results, making it a popular choice in many industrial sectors, such as jewelry, dentistry and rapid prototyping. In this article, we’ll explore in detail how resin 3D printing works and its applications.
Resin 3D Printing Basics
Resin 3D printing uses a type of liquid called photosensitive resin, which solidifies when exposed to UV radiation. This technology falls into three main categories: SLA, DLP and MSLA, which are distinguished by the light source used and the method of shaping this light.
- SLA (Stereolithography): SLA was introduced and patented in 1986 by Chuck Hull/3D Systems. This technology uses a laser directed by a galvanometer, which is a movable mirror, allowing the laser to be moved along the X and Y axes. The laser solidifies the photosensitive resin, layer by layer, to create the desired object.
Formlabs’ Form 3L is a resin printer that uses the SLA printing process. Check out our test!
- DLP (Digital Light Processing): DLP was created and patented by Texas Instruments for projectors. DLP 3D printers use a projector to project UV light onto the resin tank. The UV light is redirected by small mirrors to turn each pixel on or off, enabling selective polymerization of the resin.
DLP allows you to create serial objects much faster than SLA. Learn more about the capabilities of these technologies (photo credits: EnvisionTec)
- MSLA (Masked Stereolithography Apparatuses): MSLA uses an LCD screen to mask the UV light source. By switching each pixel on and off, the LCD screen acts as a stencil capable of creating 2D shapes to allow the UV light to pass through and cure the resin.
MSLA 3D printing is becoming increasingly popular, helping to reduce the entry cost of resin printing while offering precision and high quality. Find out how it differs from SLA printing.
All three methods share a similar architecture, consisting of:
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