Stereolithography (SLA or SL; also known as vat photopolymerisation, 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 layer fashion using photochemical processes by which light causes chemical monomers and oligomers to cross-link together to form polymers.
Those polymers then make up the body of a three-dimensional solid. Research in the area had been conducted during the 1970s, but the term was coined by Chuck Hull in 1984 when he applied for a patent on the process, which was granted in 1986.Stereolithography can be used to create prototypes for products in development, medical models, and computer hardware, as well as in many other applications. stereolithography is fast and can produce almost any design.
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". Recently, some studies have tested the possibility to green or reusable materials to produce "sustainable" resins. It is possible to classify the resins in the following categories:
1- Standard resins, for general prototyping.
2- Engineering resins, for specific mechanical and thermal properties.
3- Dental and medical resins, for biocompatibility certifications.
4- Castable resins, for zero ash-content after burnout.
5- Biomaterial resins, formulated as aqueous solutions of synthetic polymers like polyethylene glycol, or biological polymers such as gelatin, dextran, or hyaluronic acid.
SLA 3d printing is the first of the additive manufacturing processes collectively known as “3D printing”, which has been the most mature and widely used process. playing an important role in the creative design, dental medical, industrial manufacturing, animation handwork, college education, architectural models, jewelry molds, personal customization and other fields.
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Author：Simon / Lili Lu / Seazon