Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing Service

Rapid Prototyping
3D Printing
Stereolithography (SLA)

Overview: Stereolithography (SLA)

Stereolithography (SLA) is an industrial 3D printing process used to create concept models, cosmetic prototypes, and complex parts with intricate geometries in as fast as 1 day. A wide selection of materials, extremely high feature resolutions, and quality surface finishes are possible with SLA. SLA is a go-to choice for 3D printed models that require accurate features and a smooth surface finish.

How Does SLA 3D Printing Work?

A photosensitive suspension (photopolymer resin) is exposed by light (of certain wavelength) so it cures. The exposure pattern for each 3D slice is defined by a 2D photo mask (ultraviolet (UV) laser, UV light projector/DLP or LCD). After a layer is photocured, the Z axis moves up for the next layer of the 3D object. An FEP film clamped against the glass is used as the release layer.

There exist three common photo mask and light source combinations:
-ultraviolet (UV) laser
-Digital light processing (DLP) projector and UV lamp
-LCD panel and UV lamp
The type of photopolymer resin used (visible-light-curing or ultraviolet (UV)-curing) has to match the type of photo mask and light source combination.
Example:
-resin: UV-curing resin with absorption range 250 to 450 nm
-light source: UV lamp/LED 405 nm
-photo mask: LCD panel allowing to pass the UV lamp frequency

Why Use SLA?

SLA 3D prints are often used for final fit checks before moving to injection molding services. Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing process that can 3D print parts with small features, tight tolerance requirements, and smooth surface finishes.

Benefits of SLA 3D Printing

Advantages

Surface & Detail

SLA has tolerances of +/-.004” per inch, and resin surface is ideal for post-processing like polishing and painting.

Cost Saving

SLA is one of the cheapest method for rapid prototyping while preserving a good surface quality and accuracy.

Geometry

SLA allows to integrate multiple components as well as thin-walled objects and intricate geometries that traditional method won’t be capable of.

Turnaround

SLA 3D printed parts do not require tooling which reduces the manufacturing lead time from weeks to days, allowing for faster innovation and speed to market.

Material Selection

There’re various material with special properties like toughness, heat resistance, flexibility, which simulates the end products.

Scalable Volume

Multiple, identical parts can be built on a single platform at one time, greatly increasing production efficiency.

Drawbacks

Durability

Photopolymers are not stable over time and most resins don’t have balanced impact/heat resistance.

Scale Effect

The unit cost and lead time will not be reduced as much as casted or molded parts.

Our SLA 3D printing service

Requirement	Specification
Maximum build size	2100 x 800 x 700 mm
Minimum wall thickness	0.8 mm
Dimensional accuracy	L<100mm,±0.2mm. L>100mm,±0.2%*L(mm)
Typical surface finish	3 – 10 microns RA

The table below depicts the general tolerances for industrial-grade stereolithography (SLA) services. Stresses during the build, support strategy and other geometry considerations may cause deviation in tolerances and flatness. Improved tolerances may be possible with a manual quote review, after successful completion of a prototype build, and must be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Stereolithography Common Materials

SLA Materials Available at PCBWay:

Standard white material (UTR 8360)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR 8360 is a high-precision photosensitive resin material with excellent dimensional accuracy,smooth surface and excellent detail performance.

Somos Ledo resin

Accuracy ±0.2mm

Somos® Ledo is a photosensitive resin material with tough texture and excellent waterproof performance developed by DSM, which can be used to make precision parts for prototyping and functional testing.

Somos Taurus

Accuracy ±0.2mm

DSM Taurus is the latest member of the Somos® high-toughness material series. Parts made of this material are easy to clean and process.

Somos PerFORM

Accuracy ±0.2mm

Somos® PerFORM is a strong-performance, very hard, and high temperature-resistant composite material developed by DSM. It is suitable for making all kinds of injection molds, wind tunnel test pieces, waterway test pieces, etc.

UTR 8220
(Tender green)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR 8220 is suitable for high-precision SLA 3D printing rapid prototyping system with 355nm light source.The printed parts have high precision and good dimensional stability.

UTR Therm
(red translucent)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR-Therm 1 photosensitive resin can withstand temperature up to 130℃, which can simulate the thermal performance of engineering plastics. It is heat-resistant and moisture-resistant, and has high hardness. It can be used in scenes with high temperature resistance requirements such as vacuum plating, water plating, baking paint, and rapid molds.

UTR Imagine Black

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR Imagine Black is a high-precision photosensitive resin material with excellent dimensional accuracy, smooth surface and excellent

UTR-8100 (transparent, Spray varnish)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR-8100 is a colorless and transparent material with proven dimensional stability, suitable for general-use.detailed modeling

UTR-8100 (translucent)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR-8100 is a colorless and transparent material with proven dimensional stability, suitable for general-use, detailed modeling and transparent visual simulation.

UTR 3000 (Brown)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

UTR 3000 is a high-precision photosensitive resin material with excellent dimensional accuracy, smooth surface and excellent detail performance. It is very suitable for the production of anime models.

SLA Somos® EvoLVe 128 White resin material

Somos 128 Resin(white)

Accuracy ±0.2mm

Somos® EvoLVe 128 is a low-viscosity photosensitive resin material developed by DSM. It has high smoothness, stable performance, wide application, and performance similar to engineering plastics ABS and PBT.

Our standard surface finishes

Here is a list of standard surface finishes. For custom surface finishes such as electroplating or polishing, please contact 3dcnc@pcbway.com.

Spray painting

Get painted according to the color pattern provided by the customer (Including matte paint, high-gloss paint, electroplating-imitation paint, varnish, leather paint,etc).

Polished

The surface texture is polished in a variety of ways to meet the actual needs of customers. The transparent parts can be polished accordingly to improve transparency and light transmittance.

Electroplating

Provide electroplating services, improve the overall strength of the parts, provide metal-like surface texture, and make it have certain metal characteristics.

Inlay nut

At the specific bottom hole position that needs to be processed, the internal thread is processed.

Glazing assembly

The surface of the part is glazed to better imitate the appearance of handicrafts. Have mature assembly experience to ensure the overall display of the product.

Reinforced coating

The unique outer coating processing ability improves the strength of the product structure, reduces external wear, and can better avoid damage caused by normal storage and use.