Different Types Of 3D Printing Techniques
You might have heard people saying that 3D printing is very expensive and small business owners should not invest in it. But, this is the partial truth.
Of course, 3D printing business requires a little more investment than compared to cake or jewellery business. The main reason being the cost of 3D printing machines which are relatively high.
But with the increase in popularity of 3D printing products, the demand is also growing. Metal and plastic 3D printing have become quite famous these days which is why it is worth investing your money, time and efforts into a 3D printing business.
Before we start talking about different 3D printing techniques, let us first understand what 3D printing is.
In 3D printing, an object is designed in a computer using different software and then with the help of 3D printers, the object is formed. All the 3D printing techniques use layer by layer methodology to create complex 3D shapes. That is why 3D printing process is also known as additive manufacturing. The materials used can be plastic, paper, filaments etc.
Metal 3D printing technology is widely used nowadays. This 3D printing technology involves metal powders to create 3D objects. Another way is to melt plastic and metal powders together and evaporating the plastic later and making 3D objects with it
However, metal 3D printing technology is a bit expensive than plastic 3D printing. But there is a high demand for metal printing objects as well. So, if the customers are willing to pay for it, then you should definitely go for it
Talking about plastic 3D printing technology, it is the most practical and affordable printing technique. In this method, plastic is melted and moulded into the desired shapes. Therefore, the easiest and the best way is to use plastic 3D printing processes for your small business.
Here, we are going to discuss different plastic 3D printing techniques that you can use for your small business.
1. Stereolithography(SLA)
In simple words, Stereolithography is a 3D printing process in which light is used to harden liquid plastic to create a 3D object. It is very important to handle liquid resins carefully or else they can harm you. So, it’s better to buy high-quality resins that are less harmful.
2. Fused Deposition Modeling(FDM)
A lot of products can be made with Fused Deposition Modeling method and also FDM printers are comparatively cheap which makes the process more efficient. High-quality Fused Deposition Modeling machines make great products and prototypes.
Below are some of the other 3D printing techniques that you must have an idea about. Let’s have a look at them one by one.
1. Selective Laser Sintering(SLS)
SLS is similar to stereolithography where powdered material is laser sintered to make 3D objects. Liquid resins are placed in a vat and the laser is used to solidify the liquid resins and thus forming 3D shapes.
2. Digital Light Processing(DLP)
DLP just like Stereolithography uses Liquid Crystal Display(LCD) panel. The light incident on the object is controlled by micromirrors. This method is an efficient one because a large amount of light is incident on the surface which helps in solidifying the resins quickly as compared to other methods.
3. Electronic Beam Melting(EDM)
Unlike SLM, EBM uses an electron beam that is used to melt the metal powder to make a 3D shape. This 3D printing process is comparatively expensive and also can produce limited objects.
4. Selective Laser Melting(SLM)
(SLM) Selective Laser Melting is similar to (SLS) Selective Laser Sintering. In SLM, melting of the powdered material is done instead of sintering the material.
