3D Printing
3D printing has been around for a long time, but only recently did it start getting a real foot hold in smaller scale business environments. MechArtisan LLC is proud to provide 3D printing services to its clients and offers a number of 3D printing options which should meet every clients' needs.
Before getting into that, it is necessary to discuss briefly the benefits and drawbacks of various 3D printing technologies. Many don't realize that there are a multitude of 3D printing technologies housed underneath the 3D printing umbrella. Below is a brief and admittedly incomplete list of the technologies currently available in the industry.
FDM
Fused Deposition Modeling
Utilizes plastic filament which is melted and deposited onto a build plate in a layer by layer fashion.
Typical model tolerances are +/-0.005"
Typical layer height 0.006"
Multiple plastic materials available for printing including ABS, PLA, Nylon
Inexpensive parts to print due to consumables and equipment availability
SLA
Stereo Lithography Apparatus
Utilizes plastic resin which is cured thru a photo exposure or laser contact process, photopolymerization
Model is built in a vat of resin, layer by layer. Laser based systems cure resin just in the width of the laser beam. Photo based systems cure an entire layer with a single photo exposure event.
Typical model tolerances are +/-0.002" or better
Typical layer height 0.0007"
Limited plastic materials available, primarily used for demonstration models
Expensive Parts to print due to consumable cost
SLS
Selective Laser Sintering
Utilizes plastic or metallic powder which is fused with a laser system to create individual layers
Typical model tolerances are +/-0.010"
Typical layer height 0.004"
Vast amount of plastic and metallic materials
Expensive parts to print due to equipment and consumable costs and availability
