3D printing is developing a strong foothold in Australia where it is ideally suited to the economical and efficient low volume, high-value parts or rapid production of prototypes which can greatly accelerate product development. Other advantages have been well documented elsewhere. While this applies to all materials, we will only consider polymer 3D printing in this article.
Choosing the Right Industrial Polymer 3D Printer
Getting into 3D printing is now highly affordable with hobby systems within reach of most people. Virtually, all of these systems are of the FDM variety and work fine if you understand their limitations. But, what if you were looking to up the ante with production volumes, part sizes or realism, or if you looking to produce finished parts? This opens up a plethora of options in terms of printing technologies, suitable materials and the printers themselves.
We explore the some of the options and things you should consider when looking to buy an industrial polymer 3D printer.
Polymer 3D Printing Technologies
Several polymer 3D printing technologies exist and different manufacturers may use different names for them. Each also has its own pros and cons. We will briefly describe each herein.
FDM – Fused Deposition Modelling
The ubiquitous polymer 3D printing technology that extrudes a polymer filament, laying down successive layers to fabricate a 3D shape. The FDM has been described in more detail many times elsewhere. While “hobby” grade system can be had for relatively cheap prices, they often lack the process controls e.g. controlled heated process chambers that are essential for high-quality, repeatable 3D printing.
FDM is widely used across many industries for both functional prototyping and end-use part production. Parts can be produced with excellent mechanical strength, chemical resistance and thermal stability, with industrial systems also being able to produce larger parts in a single run.
SAF – Selective Absorption Fusion
SAF is an advanced powder-bed technology. It lays down a thin layer of polymer powder. A High Absorbing Fluid (HAF) is jetted on sections to be fused. Infrared energy completes the fusion process and the process repeated until the parts are fully formed.
SAF is characterised by consistent, scalable production of high-quality accurate, durable polymer parts suited to end-use applications requiring excellent repeatability and competitive cost-per-part.
PolyJet
PolyJet is perhaps the most advanced polymer 3D printing technology. It works in a similar manner to an inkjet printer, but deposits layers of liquid photopolymer which are instantly cured using UV light. It differs from other techniques in that it offers true multi-material printing, layers resolutions down to 14µm and virtually any colour you can imagine.
PolyJet is characterised by its exceptional precision and fine surface finish which allow users to create realistic prototypes, intricate models and functional components with unmatched detail.
SLA – Stereolithography
SLA is a vat photopolymerisation 3D printing technology that creates parts by selectively curing liquid photopolymer resin with a UV laser, one layer at a time. The laser traces each cross-section across the resin surface, solidifying the material wherever it is exposed. The build platform moves up and out of the resin bath as the part is being formed.
SLA is renowned for producing components with exceptional dimensional accuracy, fine feature resolution, and smooth surface finishes, making it an ideal choice for highly detailed prototypes, master patterns, dental models and presentation-quality parts.
P3-DLP – Programmable Photopolymerisation
P3-DLP is very similar to SLA. P3-DLP differs in that a layer of resin is cured simultaneously using a digital light projector. As such it can achieve faster build speeds while exhibiting excellent repeatability and consistency and the ability to produce features smaller than 50µm.
Parts produced by P3-DLP are suitable for functional end-use applications and typically exhibit high dimensional accuracy with tight tolerances, isotropic properties and surface finishes that rival injection moulding.
Comparison of Polymer 3D Printing Technologies
Relative comparison of technologies, rated 1 = good to 5 = exceptional
| Layer resolution | |||||
| Thin walls | |||||
| Surface finish | |||||
| Ease of use | |||||
| Product development versatility |
3D Printing Software
While 3D printing technologies can differ greatly, they all start with a digital CAD models. The ease of use and versatility of the software can be crucial to the success of your 3D printing capabilities and impact efficiencies.
From the preparation of files for printing and optimising print parameters, your printing software can be the key to success or failure. And don’t forget to think bigger picture. If your 3D printing really takes off, can your software control multiple different machines and integrate into your existing workflow and scale with your demands?
Materials Range
Another important consideration is materials selection. There is an ever-increasing range of polymers that are suited to 3D printing, including engineering thermoplastics such as ABS, ASA, Nylon, PC and more. These may come in filaments, resins and powders depending on your printing technology. Each one offers a unique combination of properties that should be considered based on your specific application. This includes high temperature, high strength (including carbon fibre reinforced polymers), biocompatibility or even colour options.
Choosing the Right System for your Application
Sometimes the right combination of technology, system, materials and software may be dictated by your specific application.
| Condition | Solution |
| Do you need production tooling, moulds or jigs? | FDM |
| Are you looking to build realistic looking prototypes (colours, dimensions, textures etc)? | PolyJet |
| Are you looking to make production-ready parts? | |
| If so, do you want to economically produce large quantities? | SAF |
| If so, is surface finish a primary concern? | P3-DLP or SLA |
| If so, are you looking for functional performance? | FDM |
| If so, will the parts be in service for extended periods? | FDM, P3-DLP or SAF |
Partnering with AXT/Stratasys
Stratasys are the world leader in industrial 3D printers, having pioneered FDM and PolyJet technologies. Their range of systems cover all the technologies that have been described in this article. Furthermore, their software environment built on the GrabCAD system can be used across all their instruments making any new addition instantly familiar. Their hardware and software is supported by the largest range of polymers giving you the greatest chance of finding the perfect match for your scenario.
For more details, download the Stratasys 3D Printing Buyers Guide.