Stereolithography (SLA) Prototyping

Throughout its history, 3D-CAM has been a leader in high capacity stereolithography. Many of the RP&T (rapid prototyping and tooling) services offered by 3D-CAM in both plastics and metals, rely on an SLA master pattern. For some of our customers, however, stereolithography technology is all that's required for quickly developing a presentation or engineering model.

Stereolithography is a process in which liquid plastic is solidified in precise patterns by a laser beam, resulting in a solid epoxy realization of a 3D design. The SLA process can be run in three modes. The Aces mode produces crystal-like transparency and exceptional strength at very high dimensional resolution. This mode of stereolithography is perfect for parts that require exceptional visual quality such as lenses and optical components, medical parts, and jewelry. QuickCast is a stereolithography mode creates quasi-hollow parts with a strong honeycomb interior that is 80% hollow. From a QuickCast prototype, metal parts can be made in 3-5 days. Finally, Solid Weave boasts the quickest turnaround time of the SLA modes without compromising strength and precision. It is also the most economical of the three.

Stereolithography technology is incredibly flexible when it comes to size. The single SLA part build area is 20''x 20'' x 24'', but our engineers can handle larger parts by modularizing designs and then bonding separate sections together. We have made stereolithography parts as large as 10 feet, and as small as a few tenths of inch. Resolutions down to three thousandths, four thousandths, and five thousandths of an inch are available.

SLA Equipment:

• 2 SLA 500/40 Machines
• 1 SLA 250 Machine
• Post curing ovens
• QuickCast centrifuge cleaning system