What is stereolithography?

stereolithography is a production method where parts are built by layer on a layer using laser and liquid resin. It is an additive production process, which means that part is built out of nowhere, unlike a more common subtract, where the material is removed from the work to form a finished part. The process is performed by a stereolithographic apparatus (SLA), but the designs used are usually carried out using a specialized computer design program. These machines are one of the common ways of performing rapid prototyping.

SLA is actually a very simple machine. Most of the machine is VAT, where the resin is poured and the part is produced. The lower part of this VAT contains a platform that will move up and down to make it easier to create part. Above VAT, freely moving, usually ultraviolet, laser shows down to the work area. The thickness varies, but it is the depth that the laser penetrates VAT, usually very small space. When the laser shoots down into the resin, instantlyIt will cure a small amount of material. The platform then descends one thickness and fires the laser again. The platform is still descending until the whole part is created.

VAT material is usually a photopolymer resin. These synthetic materials have special properties when they are exposed to some form of heat or light. The types of resins used in stereolite change directly from the liquid to the solid when they are exposed to certain wavelengths. This prevents most of the stereolithographic parts in the need for a curing phase.

One of the more common uses of stereolithography is rapid prototyping. When the company tests the product, it is generally very expensive unconscious dirt to create existing production machines. Most Teams use some form of rapid prototyping, where unusual parts are made specifically for a test product. Many of these quick processes use additive tEchnics, because one machine can create a huge range of different parts.

resin used in the creation process are not supported. This means that if the part is unstable, it will be necessary to create supports along with a piece to maintain its weight. When the part is completed in SLA, it will have to remove the supports manually. Other types of rapid prototyping processes are supportive, which means that there are no further support during creation.