SLA Design Guidelines
Learn how to design for succes when it comes to the SLA printing process.
The process
Stereolithography apparatus (SLA) describes the technique of using a laser or screen to harden an UV curable
liquid resin on a build platform. The platform is gradually lifted out of the bath to build the model layer by layer. An illustration of the SLA process is provided in the figure below.
Advantages
- Smooth surface and fine details
- High level of accuracy and high surface quality
- Prototypes for form-and-fit testing
- Complex geometries
- Wide range of photopolymer materials with various plastic-like properties
Disadvantages
- Support material required, requiring manual post-processing of each part
- Brittle materials
- Degradation (color shift, brittleness increase) over time due to UV hardening