SLA and MSLA 3D Printing

TEAM Lab Hardware

Formlabs Form 4B

 

Build Volume: 200 × 125 × 210 mm

X-Y Resolution: 50 µm with pre-tuned anti-aliasing for subpixel resolution

Z-Layer Thickness: 25–300 µm (depending on material and resolution settings)

Smallest Feature: ~50 µm

Available Materials: Total of 38 Formlabs materials, including 15 biocompatible, or third-party materials using Open Platform. New materials being developed periodically. See All Materials

On-hand Materials: Black v5, Clear v5, Biomed Amber, Denture Base OP Resin (animal use only)

Technology: MSLA, 405 nm LFD (Low-Force Display)

Dimensional Tolerance: 

1-30 mm features: ±0.15% (lower limit: ±0.02 mm)
31-80 mm features: ±0.2% (lower limit: ±0.06 mm)
81-150 mm features: ±0.3% (lower limit: ±0.15 mm)

 

Unique Properties:

• Fastest resin-based printing technology on offer by TEAM
• Wide range of material options with accommodations for biocompatibility, high temperature resistance (including autoclave), and optical transparency

Link to manufacturer's websiteLink to manufacturer's design-guide

Formlabs Form 3BL

 

Build Volume: 335 × 200 × 320 mm

X-Y Resolution: 25 µm via 85 µm spot-size laser

Z-Layer Thickness: 100–300 µm (depending on material and resolution settings)

Smallest Feature: ~85 µm

Available Materials: 23 Formlabs materials, or third-party materials using Open Platform. New materials being developed periodically. See All Materials

On-hand Materials: Surgical Guide, Clear V4, Rigid 10K

Technology: SLA, 405 nm Dual LPU (Laser Processing Unit) LFS (Low-Force Stereolithography)

Dimensional Tolerance: not measured

Unique Properties:

• Largest resin-based printing technology on offer by TEAM
• Wide range of material options with accommodations for biocompatibility, high temperature resistance (including autoclave), and optical transparency

Link to manufacturer's websiteLink to manufacturer's design-guide

Formlabs Form 3B

 

Build Volume: 145 × 145 × 193 mm

X-Y Resolution: 25 µm via 85 µm spot-size laser

Z-Layer Thickness: 25–300 µm (depending on material and resolution settings)

Smallest Feature: ~85 µm

Available Materials: 45 Formlabs materials, including 18 biocompatible, or third-party materials using Open Platform.  See All Materials

On-hand Materials: Surgical Guide, Clear V4, Rigid 10K, Biomed Black, Biomed White, Biomed Clear, Durable

Technology: SLA, 405 nm Single LPU (Laser Processing Unit) LFS (Low-Force Stereolithography)

Dimensional Tolerance: not measured

Unique Properties:

• Best SLA printing technology for printing bulky/thick geometry
• Wide range of material options with accommodations for biocompatibility, high temperature resistance (including autoclave), and optical transparency

Link to manufacturer's websiteLink to manufacturer's design-guide

Materials

Formlabs UV resins are formulated to cure under a 405nm wavelength, allowing for high-resolution prints with fine detail and smooth surfaces. These resins are available in various formulations, including standard, biocompatible, and engineering options, offering material properties tailored to different application needs. Whether for prototyping or functional parts, the resin's performance is consistent across a range of use cases.

• If you are in need of other resins, or you intend to use a custom resin, we can accommodate you at an added expense. 

Comparison to other printing technologies

Examples

SLA Printing Gallery

Click here to view more example SLA prints

Rates

• Note: We strongly recommend submitting a service request to obtain an accurate project cost estimate. Self-quoting can often lead to miscalculations
• Already have a quote from another vendor?  Share it with us and we'll match or beat it. 

We bill for time and materials while using our SLA printers. For time, we assess 1 hour of assisted time per-print tray plus an hourly rate for machine use. Maximizing tray capacity with your parts—whether identical or varied—significantly reduces per-unit part cost.

Estimating project cost should be left to TEAM, but here are some general project estimates that can guide in self-estimating:

*All declared values at internal rates, NUD = university required "Non-University Differential" added for external.

Optional Post Processing Services

Supports removal

Generally, we will do our best to remove supports as part of our basic service.  However, if printing a very complicated part (with difficult to access supports, or a large volume of supports), we may assess additional time to cover the cost of support removal OR provide the part with supports for you, the client, to remove.

Threaded holes

Threads are generally not directly printed onto parts, but are instead added as a secondary process by way of tapping. Exceptions may occur where two bodies are designed to couple/decouple by way of coarse threads. Other (superior) techniques for adding threads involve using threaded inserts (usually brass), or capturing a nut; Both of these techniques result in much more durable threads than a printed part alone.

Mending/Repair

If your part requires repair or needs to be fused with another print made from the same material, we can manually fuse or mend your prints using UV-curable resin. This method has also been successfully used to embed objects, typically metals, into printed parts, creating integrated and functional assemblies.

Preparing Files for Printing:

The team lab suggests two sets of files for each 3D printed part (where possible) – the original parametric model file (Solidworks/Inventor/Fusion360/etc), and a millimeter scale STL file (point-mesh file).  Please include these files on your project request if possible. 

Technical Details:

The system the TEAM lab uses is known as an Inverted SLA – As the name suggests, the build process is inverted such that the part is drawn from a vat of liquid resin.

Figure 1: Inverted SLA (via Formlabs)

Designing for SLA Printing:

Part Thickness
In practice, SLA prints are best kept small-scale, with a maximum wall thickness of 5-10mm; due to the
mechanics of our system, thick parts (greater than 10mm thickness) are entirely possible, but can result in a poor exterior
surface finish (rashing/ragging), and dimensional inconsistencies.

Support Structure
Parts out of this printer will come with [automatically generated] support pillars attached (in most
cases), as seen in the example below. The connection points between the support structures and your
part will be small enough to sever by hand, or with a small pick/blade/set of plyers. If a perfectly
smooth finish is required, plan to perform some light sanding at these locations. Note that up-faces will
be absent these defects, as no support structures will touch these areas. If your part is hollow, there is a
chance that support structures may become trapped inside, but this can occasionally be overcome with
clever design or orientation. Occasionally, a part may need to be split, and print in two or more pieces.

Figure 8: An Example Part, and it's Required Support Structure (via Formlabs)

Preparing Files for SLA Printing:
The team lab requires two sets of files for each 3D printed part – the original parametric model file
(Solidworks/Inventor/Fusion360/etc), and a millimeter scale STL file (point-mesh file)

Safety:
In cases where biocompatibility is an important characteristic, always ensure prints have undergone
proper cleaning/decontamination protocol before use. Consult the supplier’s documentation on the
topic to ensure compliance.