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Stereolithography (SLA)
1. 3/31/2021 1
K J SOMAIYA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, MUMBAI-77
(CONSTITUENT COLLEGE OF SOMAIYA VIDYAVIHAR UNIVERSITY)
Production Engineering - II
Internal Assessment – 2
Presented by: Smit Doshi- 1915123
Somrick Das Biswas – 1915124
Yashika Tank – 1915126
Siddharth Upadhyay - 1915127
3. INTRODUCTION
•Additive manufacturing is a specific 3D printing process.
This process builds parts layer by layer by depositing material
according to digital 3D design data. For example, instead of
milling a work-piece from a solid block, additive
manufacturing builds the part up layer by layer from material
supplied as a fine powder.
•Rapid prototyping is the fast fabrication of a physical part, model
or assembly using 3D computer aided design (CAD). The
creation of the part, model or assembly is usually completed
using additive manufacturing, or more commonly known as 3D
printing. There are different types of Rapid prototyping (RP)
available.
•It includes a variety of manufacturing technologies, although
most utilize layered additive manufacturing. However, other
technologies used for RP include high-speed machining, casting,
molding and extruding. In this presentation we will take a deeper
look at Stereolithography or SLA.
•Stereolithography (SLA or SL; also known as stereolithography
apparatus, optical fabrication, photo-solidification, or resin
printing) is a form of 3D printing technology used for creating
models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a layer by
4. HISTORY
•Stereolithography or "SLA" printing is an early and widely used 3D printing technology. In the early 1980s,
Japanese researcher Hideo Kodama first invented the modern layered approach to stereolithography by
using ultraviolet light to cure photosensitive polymers.
•However, the term “stereolithography” (Greek: stereo-solid and lithography) was coined in 1984 by Chuck
Hull when he filed his patent for the process. Chuck Hull patented stereolithography as a method of
creating 3D objects by successively "printing" thin layers of an object using a medium curable by
ultraviolet light, starting from the bottom layer to the top layer.
•Hull's patent described a concentrated beam of ultraviolet light focused onto the surface of a vat filled with
a liquid photopolymer. The beam is focused onto the surface of the liquid photopolymer, creating each
layer of the desired 3D object by means of crosslinking (generation of intermolecular bonds in polymers).
It was invented with the intent of allowing engineers to create prototypes of their designs in a more time
effective manner.
•After the patent was granted in 1986, Hull co-founded the world's first 3D printing company, 3D Systems,
to commercialize it.
•Stereo lithography's success in the automotive industry allowed 3D printing to achieve industry status and
the technology continues to find innovative uses in many fields of study. Attempts have been made to
construct mathematical models of stereolithography processes and to design algorithms to determine
whether a proposed object may be constructed using 3D printing.
5. METHODOLGY
•Stereolithography is an additive manufacturing process that,
basically works by focusing a UV laser on to a vat of
photopolymer resin.
•With the help of computer aided manufacturing or computer-aided
design (CAM/CAD) software, the UV laser is used to draw a pre-
programmed design or shape on to the surface of the
photopolymer vat. Photopolymers are sensitive to ultraviolet light,
so the resin is photo-chemically solidified and forms a single layer
of the desired 3D object.
•Then, the build platform lowers one layer and a blade recoats the
top of the tank with resin.
•This process is repeated for each layer (of a certain thickness
raised by the machine) of the design until the 3D object is
complete.
•Completed parts must be washed with a solvent to clean wet resin
from their surfaces.
Schematic representation of Stereolithography: a light-emitting
device (a) (a laser or DLP) selectively illuminates the transparent
bottom (c) of a tank (b) filled with a liquid photo-polymerizing resin.
The solidified resin (d) is progressively dragged up by a lifting
platform (e).
6.
7. MATERIALS
The liquid materials used for SLA printing are commonly referred to as "resins" and are thermoset
polymers. A wide variety of resins are commercially available and it is also possible to use homemade
resins to test different compositions for example. Material properties vary according to formulation
configurations: "materials can be soft or hard, heavily filled with secondary materials like glass and
ceramic, or imbued with mechanical properties like high heat deflection temperature or impact resistance".
It is possible to classify the resins in the following categories:
•Standard resins, for general prototyping
oRelatively brittle
•Engineering resins, for specific mechanical properties
oABS-like or PP-like mechanical properties
oLow thermal resistance
•Dental and medical resins, for use in living beings
oBiocompatible
oHigh abrasion resistance
oHigh cost
•Castable resins
oUsed for creating mold patterns
oLow ash percentage after burnout
8. SOFTWARES
The first step of SLA manufacturing consists of designing a 3D model
through CAD [Computer Aided Designing] software. A lot of such
software's are available in the market. Some of these are AutoCAD,
SolidWorks, Fusion360, etc.
The resulting CAD file is a digitalized representation of the desired
object. It must be drawn according to scale, and then saved in an STL file
format.
The STL file format allows the SLA printer to read the CAD file. One
must always recheck the STL format and select the most optimum
orientation of the object to be printed.
The user has the freedom to either manually add support for
overhanging portions of the item to be printed, or the software can also
automatically do so for the user.
A common practice is to build with the biggest surface area set as the
reference plane. This ensure that less material is wasted on printing
supports and other auxiliary structures, that are not required in the
finished product and are removed.
AUTODESK MESHMAKER, FREECAD, SketchUp are various other
software’s that also facilitate repairing, editing and reading of STL files.
9. POST PROCESSING
•After finishing the layer by layer material polymerization, the platform
rises out of the tank and the excess resin is drained.
•A solvent (usually isopropyl alcohol also called isopropanol), is
necessary in order to remove the excess non-solidified resin.
•Often times, a lot of the resin is trapped within the structure. In such
cases, proper arrangements such as drainage channels need to be
designed beforehand.
•Alternatively, the model is removed from the platform, washed of
excess resin, and then placed in a UV oven for final curing.
•Post-print curing enables objects to reach the highest possible strength and become more stable.
•Post final curing the, object printed is cleaned properly. The support structures and other attachments that are not
desired in the final product are removed. Precautions must be taken that this process of removal doesn’t damage the
finished product.
•Finally, sandpaper or other abrasives are used for a better surface finish.
10. APPLICATIONS
•Product designers use this process for rapid manufacturing of representative prototype parts. This can aid
visualisation, design and development of the manufacturing process ahead of mass production.
•Stereolithographic models have been used in medicine since the 1990s, for creating accurate 3D models
of various anatomical regions of a patient, based on data from computer scans.
•Production volumes in the aerospace industry are generally large (more than 70,000 parts per year) &
hence 3D printing has predominantly been used in the past as a prototyping solution rather than the
manufacturing of end parts.
•3D printers can produce a range of high-quality custom products and appliances at low unit costs with
superior fit and repeatable results.
•Jewelry professionals use CAD and 3D printing to rapidly prototype designs, fit clients, and produce large
batches of ready-to-cast pieces.
•3D printers are multifunctional tools for immersive learning and advanced research. They can encourage
creativity and thus can be used in education.
•3D printed parts have starred in stop-motion films, video games, bespoke costumes, and even special
effects for blockbuster movies. And therefore, can be used in entertainment Industry.
11. Stereolithographic model of a denture. The structures will need to be removed in post
processing
Finely printed and finished SLA print
SLA printing allows to print intricate objects that other processes
can’t
Versatility of SLA printing allows one to print a vast multitude of objects for various
applications
12. ADVANTAGES
It’s quick: A major advantage of stereolithography is that the part can be built in a relatively short period of
time since curing is fast. Parts can take anywhere from a few short hours to a day or more.
It’s cheap: The feedstock used in stereolithography are generally quite cheap to produce in bulk, so the
powders and photopolymer resin contribute very little to the cost of the process. Therefore it is only the cost
of energy for the laser and automatic platform, that is incurred during manufacturing. This cost is
negligible.
It aids prototyping: By creating a low-cost yet accurate model, the process can help one find potentially
costly mistakes by detecting design flaws before the manufacturing process even starts. It can be a cost-
effective option for low-volume production of parts and provides quick lead times for making these.
It’s a multi-material process: Since its initial introduction, SLA has undergone refinement in terms of its
standard processing capability, and in the range of materials that can be used with the process. In recent
years there have been advances in making it a standard process for joining metal and even ceramic powders
prior to them being solidified via the sintering process. This means that almost any component can now be
initially formed using SLA. This means that highly complex component parts required for high temperature
or highly abrasive applications can be formed without having to use expensive machining techniques.
Surface Finish: While the surface finish on parts is a function of the particle size used to create it, SLA parts
are renowned for having very good surface finish.
High Precision: The use of a liquid starting material results in a particularly smooth surface in the case of
SLA-printed 3D objects, generally making subsequent processing superfluous. The object’s precision is
limited only by the quality of the system. The finer the laser’s beam diameter, the greater the precision of