Successful 3D printing starts long before the printer begins. Components must be engineered for the selected process, whether produced in thermoplastic using FDM or in high-detail thermosetting resin using SLA.
Choosing the Right Printing Technology
Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM/FFF)
Extrudes plastic filament layer by layer
Thermoplastics
Stereolithography (SLA)
Cures liquid resin layer by layer using UV light
Thermosetting plastics
Engineering for Additive Manufacturing
Once the appropriate printing technology has been selected, components can be engineered specifically for the chosen manufacturing process. The examples below highlight just two of the many process-specific design principles.
FDM Design Example
This 16-nozzle, 130-degree coolant sprayer was designed specifically for FDM printing. Self-supporting internal coolant channels eliminate the need for inaccessible internal support material.*
* Support: Temporary material printed beneath overhangs to support the part during printing. Removed after printing.
Self-supporting internal channel design
Support-free build sequence
Finished coolant sprayer
Finished coolant sprayer
SLA Design Example
This transparent flow meter was engineered specifically for SLA printing to achieve the dimensional accuracy, fine integrated markings and surface quality required for a transparent functional component.
CAD rendering demonstrating fine details
Optimised build orientation
Original (left) / reproduced SLA component (right)
Finished polished component
The following printing systems support a wide range of materials, component sizes and applications, whether manufacturing engineered components or customer-supplied designs.
Available Printing Systems
A selection of components manufactured using FDM and SLA technologies.
