How many types of 3D printing?

 There are several types of 3D printing, which include:

• Stereolithography (SLA)
• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
• Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
• Digital Light Process (DLP)
• Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
• PolyJet
• Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
• Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

Stereolithography

Stereolithography is the most widely used a Rapid prototyping technology.  Stereolithography builds plastic parts a layer at a time by tracing a laser beam on the surface of a vat of liquid photopolymer. The photopolymer material quickly solidifies wherever the laser beam strikes the surface of the liquid.

Once one layer is completely traced, it's lowered a small distance into the vat and a second layer is traced right on top of the first The self-adhesive property of the material causes the layers to bond to one another and eventually form a complete, three-dimensional object after many sach layers are formed

Some objects have overhangs or undercuts which must be supported during the fabrication process by support structures.

Supports are either manually or automatically designed and fabricated right along with the object, Upon completion of the fabrication process, the object is elevated from the vat and the supports are cut off.

Stereolithography generally is considered to provide the greatest accuracy and best surface finish of any rapid prototyping technology Over the years, a wide range of materials with properties mimicking those of several engineering thermoplastics have been developed. Ceramic materials are currently being developed. The technology is also notable for the large object sizes that are possible.

On the negative side, working with liquid materials can be messy.

Parts often require a post-curing operation in a separate oven-like apparatus for complete cure and stability.

Supports must be removed from part

SLA Materials

Photopolymers are imaging compositions based on polymers/oligomers/monomers which can be selectively polymerized and/or crosslinked upon imagewise exposure by light radiation such as nitra- violet light

Follow for more