SLA or FDM printer...

[Valter]

There are some pretty interesting SLA materials available. Take a look sometime at the Polyjet materials Stratasys has available for their Objet printers. Those are SLA resins, printed in a more interesting manner.

But very expensive price the Stratasys printers

Do you know SLA XFAB from DWS System / DWS Lab? Take a look http://dwslab.com/xfab/
XFAB print on 9 materials and will cost U$ 5,000!!!

1) Standard acrylate, amber - General purpose.
2) ABS-like, grey - High-impact resistant, functional parts, snap-fit, casings
3) ABS-like, white - High-impact resistant, functional parts, snap-fit, casings
4) Polypropylene - like Flexible, snap-fit, casings, components, lab equipment
5) Rigid opaque, grey - Prototypes, toys, high-detail models, marketing models
6) Transparent - Clear prototypes, liquid flow visualization, light cases
7) Ceramic nano - filled, light blue - Static thermal resistance tests, high definition models
8) Rubber-like, black - Handles, gaskets, footwear, ergonomic tests, functional parts
9) Rubber-like, transparent - Functional parts, medical devices

I'm waiting DWS release some actions videos of XFAB to confirm my order.
Looks like a great SLA printer.

[Jeremia_Munchkins]

If you are going to compare FDM to SLA, you might as well also throw in SLS. I think SLS what will eventually win out.

[garbage]

Thanks for all the input. Indeed SLS seems to be the most promising technology. Unfortunately it seems that this technology is not ready for prime time yet when it comes to prosumer and consumer market.

What technology do you expect to develop more rapidly in the next 2 to 3 years? SLA or FDM?

[Valter]

I'm betting on SLA to next years. SLS is pricey yet.

[Maggie]

Currently FDM is what is popular. Next will be SLA, and then eventually SLS will catch on once the prices drop.

[LambdaFF]

As a hobbyist, the SLA is definitely more interesting in terms of output appearance but the proposed build volumes are so small !

I'd be much more tempted of they had a Form2 or a Macro OWL or ... something that won't require me to cut my models into 16 and rebuild behind. When you look at the Replicator Z18 announcement with a max height of 45cm ... wow. Now we're talking shop.

[KASL]

You guys you must think that FDM is faster than other print methods, talking about volumen

[awerby]

FDM is fairly slow, since the molten thread has to be deposited in a linear path as the extruder head moves over each slice, which is limited by the melt speed of the extruder and the motion speed of the printer. A single layer takes a while to print, and if you want to make bigger parts, as each layer gets bigger, the process gets slower. Compare that to DLP printing, for instance, where a whole layer is exposed at one time using a projector. That can go much faster, even with thinner layers, which give better definition. A SLA system can also go faster than a FDM, since the laser spot is moved by galvanometers that rapidly tilt a mirror, not the physical motion of the stages. Of course, most SLA printers trade that speed for layer fineness, like the DLP systems. since the object is usually to make better models, not faster models.

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com

[Artiemosk]

Keep in mind that going from 100 micron to 40 micron resolution is going to make 2.5 times the number of slices in your file. On a filament machine that will increase your print time by 2.5 times too.
As a hobbyist it might make more sense to print at 100 microns and finish the print with a wash. For example you can use acetone to smooth out PLA plastic, MEK for ABS plastic (if you can find it).
You can also sand and paint the prints in full color and probably in less time than printing something large at 25-40 microns.