Stereolithography:
SLA Detail Resin
SLA Detail Resin is a versatile material for sophisticated plastic prototypes. It is dimensionally stable, printed with high accuracy, high-resolution and smooth surfaces. Parts of up to 450 mm can be printed in this material at affordable cost, and with fast turn-around times.
Overview
Technology
Stereolithography (SLA/STL)
Colors
Translucent
Max. Size
450 x 450 x 330 mm
Cost
$$$
(Medium)
Lead Time
2 – 5 business days
Accuracy
± 0.2% with a lower limit of 0.2 mm
Material-Details
Click on the topics of your interest.
Prototypes
SLA Detail Resin is a great material for prototypes of all kinds. It is accurate, dimensionally stable, allows a very high resolution of details and can be well post processed. However, there are some limitations in the mechanic and thermal strength of the material, it is therefore not the best choice for parts facing great mechanical or thermal stress. Use this material for cases, design prototypes (see below) and all parts, where accuracy, surface quality and resolution matters.
Visual Prototypes
The translucent appearance, high surface quality and the possibility to create highly accurate complex shapes, has made this material a top choice for visual or design prototypes. Due to the properties of the material and the smooth surface, the material is one of the best choices for models that require coating after printing.
Complex Geometries
SLA Detail Resin can be used to create complex parts. The resolution is among the highest of all additive manufacturing technologies and it allows to print fine details accurately. However, Stereolithography works with support structures and has limitations of producing parts with undercuts. For parts with undercuts, Laser Sintering or Multijet Modeling might be great alternatives.
Approximate price
- Standard pricing
- Set-up fee per part EUR 7.50 (excl. VAT or 8.93 incl. VAT)
- Approx. EUR 2.00 / cm³ Material volume (excl. 19 % VAT., or 2.40 / cm³ incl. VAT)
- Discount for larger models or higher quantities
Pricing factors
- Material: For one-time orders or smaller quantities the price is based on the material consumption of the part. In rare cases, orders are rejected if the part is too complex or expensive in production.
- Other factors: For larger parts and higher quantities, the post process finishing and total material consumption (incl. support structure material consumption) is considered for final pricing.
Look & Feel
- Surface quality:
- X-Y axis top (without support): very smooth, best quality
- Z axis: smooth, but layers (100 µm) are visible
- X-Y axis bottom (with support): rougher, with scars from support structures (dots). The surface is manually sanded after printing, the result is dependent on the shape: large areas with good access are smooth (though the support dots might visible), small areas and/or challenging to access areas are a little rougher.
- Color: The color is translucent, you can see through, but it is not water-clear. If the shape allows it, the material can be polished to a better transparency.
- Feel: The material has a similar feel with normal plastic.
Characteristics
- The material is rigid with good dimensional stability.
- SLA Detail Resin is not very heat resistant and should not face temperatures larger than 45°C. While the material has overall good stability, it should not face significant mechanic stress, since it breaks more easily than e.g. laser-sintered PA12.
Tensile
Strength
52 MPa
Elongation
of break
6 – 10 %
Modulus of Elasticity
2500 MPa
Flexural
Strength
82 MPa
Vicat A
55 °C
Shore
hardness
83D
Minimum Wall Thickness
The minimum wall thickness should be no less than 0,8 mm. For details and short structures, 0,5 mm might be possible (please consult with our service staff). For long structures or structures that face mechanical stress, the wall thickness should be increased accordingly.
Cavities
Cavities are tricky with Stereolithography. While hollow structures can be printed in theory (as long as there is a min. 5 mm diameter escape hole to remove excess material), the cavity might in practice require support structures. In that case, support structures cannot be easily removed. In case your model needs a cavity, please reach out to us to discuss potential solutions or consider an alternative technology (e.g. Laser Sintering is a good choice to realize cavities).
Clearance Gap
In case your file contains several shells, make sure to keep a clearance gap of min. 0,5 mm between the shells, otherwise they could be fused together. Please note, in case there are support structures needed between the parts, it might not be possible to remove them after printing. We recommend printing shells separately with this technology.
Resolution
The minimal details size should not be smaller than 0,3 mm.
Interlocking parts
Due to the need of support structures, it is not recommended to print interlocking parts with Stereolithography. It is challenging to impossible to remove the support structures inbetween interlocking parts.
Bounding box
The maximum size of the part cannot exceed 450 x 450 × 330 mm.
Standard-Finishing
- Removing support structures an clean part from excess material
- Sanding support structure scars (only accessible areas)
- UV post curing
Optional Finishing
- Glass bead blasting
- Polishing (depending on shape)
- Spray painting
- Coating (on request)
First, the 3D model is analyzed and support structures are added to the bottom and over-hanging areas. The complete model is then digitally disassembled into thin layers – these are the instructions for the 3D printer. The liquid resin is loaded in to the stereolithography 3D printer’s reservoir and a build platform is positioned close to the top of that reservoir. A UV laser draws the first of the thin layers on top of the platform – immediately hardening (i.e. photopolymerization) the resin in those areas. Thereby, the first layer of the model is printed and also attached to the build platform. The build platform is then moved down by a layer thickness (typically 100 microns) in the liquid and the UV laser draws the next layer, fusing it to the layer before it. This process then repeats until all the layers have been printed.
After all the layers have been printed the printing is complete and the model is removed from printer. After printing, the parts are cleaned, the support structure is removed and the part is post-cured by UV light to increase strength.
By loading the video, you agree to YouTube's privacy policy.
Learn more
Stereolithography schematic. Source: 3D-Systems.