EBI provides rapid prototyping service, SLA 3D Printing, plastic injection molding, CNC Machining, low-volume, on-demand. no MOQ, fast delivery free design.

Accuracy is one of the most important features of 3D printing service, especially SLA 3D printing service, which is known for its high precision. However, it is not easy to achieve high-precision printing. A variety of small factors can affect the printing effect, making the finished product far from the prototype.

Mechanical control
The biggest factor in determining accuracy may be the mechanical control level of the printer, which refers to the movement accuracy of various mechanical controls, including the galvanometer and the table. If these do not move exactly as directed by the software, then deviations will occur.

Material deformation
3D printing with resin usually shows a certain degree of overhang. Although it can be cured by exposure to a laser, it cannot be completely cured in an instant. The highest strength can only be achieved by placing the resin material in the UV curing oven during the post-treatment stage. Therefore, in SLA printing, the supporting material is very important. If the software does not adjust the position of the support to the optimal position, the accuracy will be seriously affected.

Computer modeling
Even if the machine's mechanical control performance and materials are perfect, the printed workpiece cannot achieve 100% accuracy. Because CAD modeling does not fully implement all the details of the workpiece.

Swing
Printing orientation is very important. Most desktop-grade SLA machines print workpieces in reverse, meaning that most of the workpieces are suspended during the molding process. Adding additional support material can alleviate some degree of overhang, but there will still be some material that hangs due to gravity. However, the printing direction is not the only one of the important factors. The orientation of the workpiece in the molding chamber also needs to be taken into consideration. The optimal orientation of the workpiece should be calculated to minimize the problem of overexposure in photocuring.

Layer thickness
In general, the smaller the layer thickness, the better, because the layer thickness is small and the resolution is higher. However, after a certain critical point, this is not necessarily the case. Some studies have shown that for layer thicknesses less than 0.1 mm, the smaller the layer thickness, the lower the accuracy.

Spot diameter
As you might expect, the smaller the spot, the higher the detail. The larger the spot size, the shorter the printing time, but it will affect the detail and precision of the workpiece.

Temperature and environment
Any temperature or humidity fluctuations during industrial 3D printing can affect the printing results. Resins are extremely sensitive to the environment, and 3D printing requires the viscosity of the resin to be as low as possible. The higher the temperature, the lower the viscosity of the resin, so it is critical to keep the resin warm (constant temperature). However, the temperature of the resin should not be too high, otherwise, the workpiece will be too soft and unstable. The optimum temperature is mainly set according to the material characteristics, and any deviation will affect the shape of the workpiece. At the same time, it is also critical that the resin surface remains level. Accuracy will be severely affected if there is vibration or if the equipment moves extremely slightly.

Post-processing
After the workpiece is printed, a series of post-processing steps are required, including cleaning with alcohol, removing support material, and sanding. These jobs are usually done by hand, so human errors can inevitably occur.

EBI provides rapid prototyping service, SLA 3D Printing, plastic injection molding, CNC Machining, low-volume, on-demand. no MOQ, fast delivery free design.