Get to know the technology.
Make Sense of the World of Rapid Prototyping
Bewildered by the many technologies available today for rapid prototyping? You’re not alone. Without an apples-to-apples comparison, it is hard to know which will work best for you. Explore the section below to see with your own eyes how they compare with one another. You may just be surprised at what you find!
Stereolithography
While stereolithography (SL) is the oldest of all the RP technologies, it remains the gold standard for overall accuracy, surface finish and resolution. It uses an ultraviolet laser focused to a small point, drawing on the surface of a liquid thermoset resin. Where it draws, the liquid turns to solid. This is repeated in thin, 2-dimensional cross-sections that are layered to form complex 3-dimensional parts. Material properties are typically inferior to those of SLS, but the surface finish and detail are unmatched.
Stereolithography's Strengths
Detail • Accuracy • Smoothest finish
Selective Laser Sintering
SLS uses a CO2 laser that draws onto a hot bed of thermoplastic powder. Where it draws, it lightly sinters the powder into a solid. After each layer, a roller lays a fresh layer of powder on top of the bed and the process repeats. Since SLS uses actual engineering thermoplastics, its parts exhibit greater toughness.
Selective Laser Sintering's Strengths
Strong • Tough • Durable
3D Printing
This has become a catch-all name in recent times, but it is reserved primarily for technologies that make 3-dimensional parts using office-friendly machines that do not require extensive training for the operators. Many — but not all — use ink-jet technology in some way to deposit material in 2D layers that build up to 3D. ZCorp machines jet a binder onto a bed of powder.
3D Printing's Strengths
Fast • Cost-effective • High-Resolution
Other Technologies
There are many other technologies that have been pressed into service over the years. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) by Stratasys and Perfactory by EnvisionTEC are two examples that thrive as viable tools for both prototyping and rapid manufacturing. Others occupy small niches in the marketplace, or have fallen by the wayside.