Is SLA / Resin printing the future?

Hi guys,

I'm looking to gauge interest in the SLA / Resin 3D printing market.

As I began doing a little research I can see why SLA hasn't really taken off yet. Not only are the printer prices slightly more than their FDM counterpart, but the cost of materials is significantly higher. In my opinion SLA is the better way to generate 3D prints, but it's not as cost effective. What If it was more cost effective? And in another 1-2 years SLA printers will hit the sub $1k range. How interested are YOU in SLA printing compared to FDM?

Form Labs is charging roughly $555/gal of resin, and the lowest cost alternative I've come across is still about $220/gal.

To keep it short, I have the resources to be able to develop and offer a resin specifically for 3D printing. Early estimates suggest I could sell a resin like this around $85-100/gal.

Tldr; Is there a large enough market in SLA for 3D resins that I should invest more time into developing a much more cost effective alternative?

I think they both have their part in the 3d printing world. Pretty much like how to cut wood, you have a jigaw (quick and inexpensive); and you have a table saw (precise but costly). Depends on what you want to achieve, both tools are useful.

That said, I prefer SLA. FDM quality isn't as high-res for my personal taste on what I want to do. As "sketches", it works great. As an "end consumer product", I wouldn't put my name on it to sell. Nothing will be cheaper to product than FDM, so an other types of printer material will be more; we all just have to accept that. That said, SLA prints are still inexpensive when compared to powder-based prints.

SLA printers aren't common only because the technology's patent only rare out recently. We're seeing the first family of home-based SLA just within the past year. There are some that are the same price as mid-range FDM printers. They are faster than PDF printers which in itself is a selling feature over FDM for some people. It required s small clean station area, which may deter some users.

There will be a split between users, I don't see FDM as going away but I see them as a low-mid entry choice, while SLA will be mid-upper entry choice for the hobbyist.

Thanks for that.

Give it 1-2 years and you don't SLA will be in the sub 1k range?

I know you said materials are much more expensive. Thus, it's inhibitive to wanting to use an SLA printer.

Here's some simple math. At $100/gal, a gal of UV resins will be 9-10lb/gal. 10lbs is roughly 4.5kg. $100/4.5 is $22.5/kg. that's cheaper than what I've seen for 1kg of ABS or PLA.

With that said do you think more people would jump on the SLA wagon?

There's nothing magical about the resins. Given the specifications I will have to formulate and test for maybe a month or two till I get something that's similar to what is being sold already.

I would love an SLA machine and would already have one were it not for the issues that many seem to have with larger prints. When a $1k-ish machine hits the market with 12" cubed build volume (and can legitimately utilize the whole thing) and a variety of resins available for colors and material properties that aren't insanely expensive, I will be in line to buy one. Until then though, SLA to me is useless for anything more than small trinkets.

Jewelry and Dentistry have been embracing SLA in a big way. If you could develop an affordable resin that will produce high-quality prints, burnout cleanly using gypsum-based investment, and leave no ash residue, you'll have a lot of jewelers knocking on your door. Most of the "castable" resins being sold now are not as castable as they make it out to be.

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Originally Posted by Resin

Give it 1-2 years and you don't SLA will be in the sub 1k range?

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1-2 years? I'd say less than a year. The LumiFold is less than $600, combine that with a $300 projector and you're still under that price point. There is also the iBox Nano at $300 (with a tiny build volume) and the Peachy Printer at $99 (if you're up for an assembly and calibration challenge) which both might be out later this year. (the Peachy will probably be out before the iBox.)

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Originally Posted by Resin

Here's some simple math. At $100/gal, a gal of UV resins will be 9-10lb/gal. 10lbs is roughly 4.5kg. $100/4.5 is $22.5/kg. that's cheaper than what I've seen for 1kg of ABS or PLA.

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A better way to do the conversion is that 1 liter of fresh water is 1 kg...
The cheapest I've ever found is $55 per liter, so roughly $50 per kilogram (resin is a little bit denser than fresh water).
More expensive than cheap filament, but certainly not as bad as the brand-name stuff.

SLA has it benifits, such as for the jewelry industry and what it can perform, however as for today it is quite expensive, and not to mention the raw material.
SLA will as posters say above has it nisch, but IMO FDM printer develop so fast it may overshade SLA printer in term of quality in the nearest future. Then we have the multijet technology who may change how 3d printing will be.

My other replies haven't been approved yet...

But essentially, I think I could produce a resin that sells for less than most sell ABS for per kg. What I've seen is anywhere from $25-30/kg for ABS. At $100/gal, an early estimate would be $22-$24.5/kg.

It's all going to come down to how difficult it is formulate for near UV light. Shortest case 1 month, realistically I think it's a year before I have something that can be sold at that price...

I think FDM progression is already seeing it's plateau on the bell-curve. Yes, there still will be some development, but in terms of resolution and speed side of things, it's almost near the top of the bell curve IMO.

SLA resin I would look forward too: options for flexibility (silicone-like), a reliable metal-cast option, a cost-effective option. I'm not too concerned about colors for my personal taste as long as it is paintable.

I'd love to have a more affordable resin for my Form 1+ but I've already tried a few off-brand alternatives and they all fell short of Formlabs resin.