Stereo lithography.

The term was put into circulation by K. Hull, founded in 1986 3D Systems Corporation for the production of this equipment. Manufacturing process includes:

Photopolymer composition is poured into the bath and placed in the same bathtub platform capable of moving in the vertical direction at a depth equal to the thickness of the layer.

Ultraviolet laser scans the layer of polymer, hardening the polymer on the form of cross-section.

Platform is lowered on the thickness of one layer and a new scan of the surface is conducted. This is repeated until the receipt of the finished part.

For the final curing it is performed additional hardening. This is necessary because it can remain liquid areas in each layer. Since the size of the laser beam is finite, then the process can be compared with fill a figure with a ballpoint pen.

This method is one of the most popular, but if the item has cut below, it is required the creation of support structures. As a result, the surface roughness of the finished product without any treatment does not exceed 100 microns. Baked detail is easily polished. The strength of finished parts is comparable to the strength of products made of epoxy resins. Finished models can withstand heat up to 100 degrees C without changes in shape and size.

SLS – Selective Laser Sintering.

The process is developed by the American firm DTM:

The powdery material is applied on a special platform by special leveling roller;

A layer of powder is scanned selectively and heated by laser beam. As a result, the particles coalesce and form a desired cross-section of products;

The platform is lowered on the thickness of one layer and it is applied powdered material;

Laser scans again, as a result particles and layers are glued together;

Steps three and four are repeated until a desired product is ready;
It is required additional sintering for some materials.

Additional support structures are not required due to filling voids by powder. The advantage of this method is the possibility of using any fusible powders, including metal. The method is mainly used for making molds with a resource from 2500 to 10000 items.

LOM – Laminated Object Modeling.

The detail is produced by laminating and laser cutting of the incoming sheet material. Adhesion is due thermal adhesive coverage.

Each leaf is attached to the work piece by heat and pressure. Leaf material is fed into a continuous roll from one side and taken from other side. The required temperature and pressure are provided by the rolling roller. Once the sheet is attached, it is scanned along the contour of cross section. It is often used lasers on carbon dioxide capacity of 25 or 50 W. Due to the fact that scanning is only along the contour, we obtain much better performance than using the methods of raster scan.

Areas beyond the contours are cut into small pieces for later disposal. After applying the last layer, the excess material is broken up and the finished part is removed. The part’s surface is ground, polished or painted. Finished parts can be coated with sealant to protect it from moisture.

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