Additive Processes
A number of additive processes are available. They differ in the way layers are deposited to create parts and in the materials that can be used. Some methods melt or soften material to produce the layers, e.g. selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM), while others cure liquid materials using different sophisticated technologies, e.g. stereolithography (SLA). With laminated object manufacturing (LOM), thin layers are cut to shape and joined together (e.g. paper, polymer, metal). Each method has its own advantages and drawbacks, and some companies consequently offer a choice between powder and polymer for the material from which the object is built. The main considerations in choosing a machine are generally speed, cost of the 3D printer, cost of the printed prototype, and cost and choice of materials and color capabilities.
Printers that work directly with metals are expensive. In some cases, however, less expensive printers can be used to make a mould, which is then used to make metal parts.
| Type | Technologies | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Extrusion | Fused deposition modeling (FDM) | Thermoplastics (e.g. PLA, ABS), eutectic metals, edible materials |
| Granular | Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) | Almost any metal alloy |
| Electron beam melting (EBM) | Titanium alloys | |
| Selective heat sintering (SHS) | Thermoplastic powder | |
| Selective laser sintering (SLS) | Thermoplastics, metal powders, ceramic powders | |
| Powder bed and inkjet head 3d printing, Plaster-based 3D printing (PP) | Plaster | |
| Laminated | Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) | Paper, metal foil, plastic film |
| Light polymerised | Stereolithography (SLA) | photopolymer |
| Digital Light Processing (DLP) | liquid resin |
Read more about this topic: Direct Digital Manufacturing
Famous quotes containing the word processes:
“The higher processes are all processes of simplification. The novelist must learn to write, and then he must unlearn it; just as the modern painter learns to draw, and then learns when utterly to disregard his accomplishment, when to subordinate it to a higher and truer effect.”
—Willa Cather (1873–1947)