FDM stands for Fused Deposition Modeling, which simply means that material is deposited in single layers that fuse together to create a 3D object.
Stereolithography (SLA) printing was first invented in the 1980's and works by curing resin with light. The light solidifies a liquid resin via a process called photo-polymerization and builds objects layer by layer.
Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is the process of turning digital designs into three-dimensional objects.During SLS, tiny particles of plastic, ceramic or glass are fused together by heat from a high-power laser to form a solid, three-dimensional object.
3D Printers and 3D Printing: Technologies, Processes and Techniques. 3D printing is also called additive manufacturing. This term accurately describes how this technology works to create objects. "Additive" refers to the successive addition of thin layers between 16 to 180 microns or more to create an object.
There are some common denominators, for example, both use a laser to trace out and build individual layers. For SLA a liquid resin is cured, where as in SLS powder is selectively fused together.
Because the sintering temperature does not have to reach the melting point of the material, sintering is often chosen as the shaping process for materials with extremely high melting points such as tungsten and molybdenum. The study of sintering in metallurgy powder-related processes is known as powder metallurgy.
To create your 3D print, a laser in the printer melts the powder together. So here's how it works: A super-thin layer of Aluminum or Titanium powder is spread out by a roller. The print chamber of the 3D printer is then heated up.
The Powder Bed Fusion process includes the following commonly used printing techniques: Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), Electron beam melting (EBM), Selective heat sintering (SHS), Selective laser melting (SLM) and Selective laser sintering (SLS).
MJP or MultiJet Printing is an inkjet printing process that uses piezo printhead technology to deposit either photocurable plastic resin or casting wax materials layer by layer. MJP is used to build parts, patterns and molds with fine feature detail to address a wide range of applications.
PolyJet is a powerful 3D printing technology that produces smooth, accurate parts, prototypes and tooling. With microscopic layer resolution and accuracy down to 0.1 mm, it can produce thin walls and complex geometries using the widest range of materials available with any technology.
