SLA vs SLS: which to choose?
Although both technologies use lasers to create 3D objects, they are very different. SLA technology uses UV laser light to trigger a chemical reaction - resulting in the in-situ formation of plastic from its molecular building blocks. SLS technology uses an IR laser to melt fine powders made of thermoplastics (or even metals). More information on the specificities of the two technologies can be found at the link.
Fused filament printers are already in common use, and although they are the cheapest solution for printing lower resolution models (ornaments, concepts), the mechanical properties of the printed objects can approach the quality of models made with classical technologies. Our Craftbot Plus printers with heated platform can work with 1.75 mm diameter filament, easy to handle PLA, ABS, PETG and many other materials.
With our Form3 desktop printer, you can print detailed products using flexible, heat-resistant or even dental photopolymer resins to create a smooth to the touch surface.
The ProJet 6000 professional industrial printer is capable of printing objects with a homogeneous surface quality at a resolution of 20 µm on a wide range of substrates (e.g. heat-resistant, ABS, polycarbonate-like, etc.), even Class VI biocompatible plastics.
The advantage of Multijet technology, which works on a similar principle to inkjet printers, is that it offers complete geometric freedom in the shape of the printed object thanks to its readable support. It has the smallest voxel size of any of our printers, which means that the print can be built up from the smallest spatial elements.
Our centre's metal printer uses one of the most sophisticated and one of the highest resolution metal printing technologies to date, laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), fusing layers of powder a few tens of µm thick to create a printed body. In addition to stainless austenitic steel, which has well-balanced mechanical properties and excellent corrosion resistance, nearly thirty alloys are available, including, of course, titanium and cobalt-chromium alloys used for medical and dental implants.