3D Printing

3D technology is highly revolutionary in the world of printing, being both accessible and customisable.

From FDM additive manufacturing technology to SLA (stereolithographic) printing, there’s always a technology to perfectly meet your needs.

So, how can you choose the right 3D printer? First, we need to determine what you need it for and the materials you’ll use. The vendor ecosystem is just as important, too. If this is all new to you, you can get information and free printer resources for your printer (STL files, printer accessories to make yourself, etc.…) through a user community.

FDM Technology

AKA additive printing. This technology consists of adding a succession of fine layers of heated and extruded plastic or metal onto a board, which is also preferably heated for better material adhesion.

Standard materials – ABS (industrial plastic) and PLA (polylactic acid from corn starch) are the most commonly used materials. ABS has to be kept in a sealed enclosure fitted with extractors to remove the steam created when heating it.

Specialist materials – ABS can be enhanced with wood, carbon, or Kevlar fibres to give the created object an additional texture (wood, bronze, leather), make it stronger (Kevlar or carbon), or more supple (nylon). Metal is reserved for industrial production of small standard parts.

FDM printers – Filament material is constantly evolving to give finished products a realistic appearance (wood, bronze),or to adapt to functional requirements (nylon, carbon).

SLA Technology

SLA printers use a mix of liquids made up of monomers, oligomers, and photoinitiators. These liquids react to UV light (laser, LED) and polymerise (solidify) when they come into contact with it, creating a polymer that is classified as plastic. This is often referred to as resin as the liquids have a viscous appearance.

The volume of pieces to be produced and their level of complexity are also determining factors when selecting your device.

Manufacturing parts by adding layer upon layer of material can require printing supports to cope with physical production limitations. A hollow sphere, for example, can only be made using PVA supports that are then dissolved in water once printing is complete.

SLA Printing – Seeing your creation emerging from the resin container is always magical and this process offers much higher precision than FDM technology.

The printing software that comes with devices is referred to as a “slicer” and is often overlooked in favour of a device’s technical specs. It’s this slicer, however, that lets us differentiate between two devices with otherwise identical properties. One of the most performant and popular software options is the Ultimaker Cura.

SLA

FDM

Have questions about 3D printing?

Simply e-mail us at: direkt@bechtle.fr

Or call us on: +33 3 90 40 45 45.

We’ll be happy to help you.