FDM vs SLA 3D Printing - Aurum3D

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FDM vs SLA 3D Printing
You can use a 3D printer to build
three-dimensional products, items, or objects
physically from a digital file. The 3D printers
create the physical objects or structures by
depositing thin layers of materials successively.
But you have the option to choose from a wide
range of additive manufacturing or 3D printing
technologies, including Fused Deposition Modeling
(FDM) and Stereolithography (SLA).
Both FDM and SLA are widely used 3D printing
technologies. SLA is an older and more mature
form of 3D printing technology, while FDM is a
relatively new additive manufacturing technology.
Both 3D printing technologies produce physical
objects and structures by depositing materials
layer by layer. But they differ from each other
in several aspects. You cannot choose the right
3D printing technology without asking some
important questions.
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What is Stereolithography (SLA) 3D Printing
Technology?

• SLA is an earlier form of 3D technology. But it
  is still being used widely by individuals and
  enterprises across the world. SAL 3D printers
  produce three-dimensional objects or models by
  depositing material layer by layer. But they use
  ultraviolet (UV) laser beams to cure the
  photosensitive liquid resin. The UV beams
  transform the liquid resin into hardened plastic
  through a process called photopolymerization.
• At present, SLA 3D printing technology is used by
  enterprises from various sectors to produce
  highly detailed prototypes. Many enterprises opt
  for SLA to build three-dimensional items with a
  smooth surface and finer features. They further
  experiment with various forms of resin to create
  objects with varying thermal, optical, and
  mechanical properties.
• Now that you have got a basic idea about SLA 3D
  printing, now lets try and understand what is
  Fused Deposition Modeling.

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What is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D
Printing Technology?
Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is also known as
fused filament fabrication (FFF). FDM or FFF 3D
printing technology produces a variety of
three-dimensional objects or products by
depositing thermoplastic layer by layer. The FDM
3D printers enable you to work with several types
of thermoplastics. They are designed with a
heated intruder which softens the thermoplastic
as the material is being fed.
The softened thermoplastic filament is then
deposited by the print head into the print area
layer by layer. The DFM 3D printers produce
three-dimensional items by depositing one layer
at a time. Many people these days opt for FDM to
3D-print a variety of items at a lower cost. The
durable and flexible nature of thermoplastics
further helps users to customize and fine-tune
the 3D-printed items using FDM printers. Here are
the advantages of FDM 3D printing.
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How Do SLA and FDM 3D Printing Technologies
Differ from Each Other?
While using an SLA 3D printer, you have to use
resin as the primary material. Resin is one type
of light-reactive thermoset material. You have
the option to choose from resin materials with
varied formulation configuration. Hence, you can
get the required thermal, mechanical, and optical
properties by choosing the right type of resin.
But you need to cure the resin filament using UV
light to obtain hardened plastic.
At the same time, FDM printers produce
three-dimensional objects using thermoplastic as
the primary material. While using FDM 3D
printers, you can choose from several types of
thermoplastic polylactic acid (PLA),
acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyamides
(Nylon), polycarbonate (PC), polyvinyl alcohol
(PVA), and polyamides (Nylon). Also, you can
customize the thermoplastic filaments by choosing
the right blend and color. Here is an interesting
read on 3D printing in ABS.
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3D Printing Speed
As mentioned earlier, both FDM and SLA printers
build three-dimensional items by depositing the
filament layer by layer. But the layers created
by FDM printers have a lower height than the
layers created using SLA printers. That is why
SLA printers are about 5 to 10 times faster than
FDM printers. The same object can be printed in
about 9 hours using an SLA printer and about 80
to 90 hours using an FDA printer. That is why
engineers prefer SLA printers to FDM printers to
speed up prototyping and iterations.
3D Printing Cost
You have the option to choose from several models
of FDM and SLA 3D printers. The models differ
from each other in several aspects size,
features, performance, and cost. The prices of
professional desktop FDM printers range from
2000 to 8000. At the same time, the prices of
SLA 3D printers range from 3000 to 1000. Also,
the thermoplastic filament used by FDM 3D
printers is less expensive than the resin
filament used by SLA printers. That is why SLA
3D printers are used widely by engineers and
enterprise users, while FDM 3D printers are
hugely popular among students and hobbyists.
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Build Volume
In 3D printing, the term build volume refers to
the maximum size of the 3D-printed item. You have
the option to use a 3D printer to create either a
large component or multiple small components
during a build. Each new version of FDM and SLA
supports larger build volumes. Many 3D printers
are designed with multiple extruders. The largest
SLA printers these days support higher build
volume than the largest FDM 3D printers.
Print Quality and Reliability
SLA 3D printers score over FDM 3D printers in the
categories of print quality and reliability. An
SLA 3D printer cures the filament using laser
beams. The laser beams make SLA 3D printing
technology effective in bonding or connecting
multiple layers fully and tightly. But FDM
printers do not make multiple layers adhere to
each other fully. Many engineers prefer SLA 3D
printers to FDM 3D printers to achieve a higher
level of reliability and precision. Also, SLA
printers are used widely by enterprises for
functional prototyping.
About Aurum3D
We, at Aurum3D, have been providing best in class
FDM 3D printing services and SLA 3D printing
services to our prestigious clients across the
globe. You can get in touch with our solution
experts to create a custom 3D printing solution
tailor made for your business.
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About aurum3d.com Aurum3D is a 3D printing
company founded in September 2018 for bringing a
difference in education, technology, and start-up
space, by promoting and leveraging 3D printing
technology in India. Aurum3D strongly believes
that 3D printing technology will disrupt the
entire manufacturing industry and consumer
experience perspective. We provide custom 3D
printing, 3D designing and scanning solutions to
our prestigious clients across the country. We
also have our own 3D printers manufacturing setup
producing different variants to cater to the
needs of industry and individuals.
Contact sales_at_aurum3d.com
For More Information Call Us 8310758536 Web
- https//www.aurum3d.com/ Address 210, EWS
Colony, Stage 2, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India