A lot of times I talk to people about 3D printing they aren't aware that there is more than one type, so I thought in this blog post I'd give a super quick run down of the main types out there and a few pros and cons of each.
FDM/FFF
First and foremost, the type of printing that most people would immediately think of would be Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) or Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). This method uses a heated nozzle to heat a filament of plastic and then lay it down onto a print surface one layer at a time. It is by far the most popular type of printer out there for enthusiasts and home makers due to it's relatively low cost and ease of use.
The price range of FDM printers is huge, with even just the consumer market ranging from a couple hundred pounds all the way up to the thousands.
Popular Printers
I will clarify that there are literally hundreds of printers in this category so I have just picked a few that I have first hand experience with;
The obvious pros of this method of printing are that it is relatively cheap, with machines and material costing a fraction of the other methods, and it is easy to learn and start using. The cons are that it really doesn't give the level of detail some people would want, the support material can be a pain and some machines can require a large amount of tweaking to get them running perfectly.
SLA & DLP
Lasers! That's right, this method of 3D printing uses lasers, SLA or Stereolighography uses a laser to cure resin in layers, similar to how FDM extrudes in layers, only upside down. The print surface is inverted compared to the FDM printers and is lowered into a bath of UV curable resin, lifting out layer by layer as the model is formed meaning that you can get some really cool time lapses where it appears the machine is pulling a model out of the resin.
DLP or Digital Light Processing is very similar but instead of a laser curing the resin, it uses a LCD screen to flash a single image of each layer across the entire build surface. Below is a nifty diagram from Formlabs explaining the difference (check out their blog post on the differences between SLA and DLP for a much more in-depth look);
Price wise, true SLA machines tend to be a lot more expensive than DLP with the most popular prosumer SLA printer, the Formlabs Form2, being around £3000, whereas you can pick up a Chinese DLP machine for about £500 in places.
The Benefit of the SLA over DLP is the incredible, sharp detail you can get on models and for printing small detailed items like miniatures or jewelry there is no real comparison with the other types of printing. Sure, you could print these things at a super high setting on the FDM machines but it wouldn't hold a candle to the quality you can get with even a DLP machine.
Popular Printers
The Form2 below is SLA, whereas the LC Precision and the Photon are both DLP;
*Above; Formlabs Form 2, Photocentric Liquid Crystal Precision, Anycubic Photon
The main pro of this method is obviously quality, if you're printing small, high detail, delicate items then this is the type of printer for you. Cons would be price, and the resin is pretty nasty stuff, it smells and you must wear gloves when handling it and freshly printed objects. Objects then need to be cleaned in a IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) solution and then, in the case of some printers, it needs to be UV cured.
SLS
SLS or Selective Laser Sintering (lasers again!) uses a laser to sinter a powdered material, such as nylon or ABS one layer at a time (You guys seeing the theme here?). The machine lays down a layer of powder, covering the entire print surface and sinters the layer according to the model(s) being printed. The surface then moves down one layer and new powder is deposited on top. The process repeats until the model is complete, buried in the powder in the print chamber.
Popular Printers
Honestly these printers are so far out of my price range I know very little about the different options out there, and if you're genuinely interested in one you can find much more knowledgeable people out there than myself! The main one I'm aware of is the upcoming Formlabs Fuse 1, which at around £20k for a full solution is a steal for this type of printer.
*Above; Formlabs Fuse1
The Pros of this method are that it produces incredibly strong parts that can be used, there is no support material to worry about as the model is built encased in the excess powder and with certain types of SLS printing, full multi-colour models can be produced. In fact the parts produced can have such good mechanical properties, this method can substitute typical injection molding for producing low volume parts.
The main cons from a consumer point of view are price, these printers can normally be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds and space required, these machines are BIG. Also due to the nature of the powdered material used, a fully ventilated area is normally required to ensure safety.
The parts themselves tend to have a rough, porous surface finish, meaning for small detailed parts a lot of the detail can be lost and for parts that need to be used, a surface finish or coating may be required.
The Form2 below is SLA, whereas the LC Precision and the Photon are both DLP;
The main pro of this method is obviously quality, if you're printing small, high detail, delicate items then this is the type of printer for you. Cons would be price, and the resin is pretty nasty stuff, it smells and you must wear gloves when handling it and freshly printed objects. Objects then need to be cleaned in a IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) solution and then, in the case of some printers, it needs to be UV cured.
SLS
SLS or Selective Laser Sintering (lasers again!) uses a laser to sinter a powdered material, such as nylon or ABS one layer at a time (You guys seeing the theme here?). The machine lays down a layer of powder, covering the entire print surface and sinters the layer according to the model(s) being printed. The surface then moves down one layer and new powder is deposited on top. The process repeats until the model is complete, buried in the powder in the print chamber.
Popular Printers
Honestly these printers are so far out of my price range I know very little about the different options out there, and if you're genuinely interested in one you can find much more knowledgeable people out there than myself! The main one I'm aware of is the upcoming Formlabs Fuse 1, which at around £20k for a full solution is a steal for this type of printer.
The Pros of this method are that it produces incredibly strong parts that can be used, there is no support material to worry about as the model is built encased in the excess powder and with certain types of SLS printing, full multi-colour models can be produced. In fact the parts produced can have such good mechanical properties, this method can substitute typical injection molding for producing low volume parts.
The main cons from a consumer point of view are price, these printers can normally be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds and space required, these machines are BIG. Also due to the nature of the powdered material used, a fully ventilated area is normally required to ensure safety.
The parts themselves tend to have a rough, porous surface finish, meaning for small detailed parts a lot of the detail can be lost and for parts that need to be used, a surface finish or coating may be required.
I hope that gives you all enough information to be able to tell the difference between the main types of 3D printing and has been an interesting read! If you feel I've made any terrible mistakes here, please let me know in the comments below.
Hope to see you all next week!
Hope to see you all next week!
Troez.
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