Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA)
Principle:
The SLA process is based fundamentally on the following principles:
(1) Parts are built from a photo-curable liquid resin that cures when exposed to a laser beam (basically,
undergoing the photopolymerization process) which scans across the surface of the resin.
(2) The building is done layer by layer, each layer being scanned by the optical scanning system and
controlled by an elevation mechanism which lowers at the completion of each layer.
Process:
1. Stereolithography process creates three-dimensional plastic objects directly from CAD data.
2. The process begins with the vat filled with the photo-curable liquid resin and the elevator table
set just below the surface of the liquid resin.
3. The operator loads a three-dimensional CAD solid model file into the system.
4. Supports are designed to stabilize the part during building.
5. The translator converts the CAD data into a STL file. The control unit slices the model and
support into a series of cross sections from 0.025 to 0.5 mm (0.001 to 0.020 in) thick.
6. The computer-controlled optical scanning system then directs and focuses the laser beam so
that it solidifies a two dimensional cross-section corresponding to the slice on the surface of the
photo-curable liquid resin to a depth greater than one layer thickness.
7. The elevator table then drops enough to cover the solid polymer with another layer of the liquid
resin.
8. A leveling wiper or vacuum blade moves across the surfaces to recoat the next layer of resin on
the surface.
9. The laser then draws the next layer.
10. This process continues building the part from bottom up, until the system completes the part.
The part is then raised out of the vat and cleaned of excess polymer.
Photopolymers:
There are many types of liquid photopolymers that can be solidified by exposure to electro-magnetic
radiation, including wavelengths in the gamma rays, X-rays, UV and visible range, or electron-beam (EB)
SLA machines are curable in the UV range. UV-curable photopolymers are resins which are formulated
from photo-initiators and reactive liquid monomers. There are a large variety of them and some may
contain fillers and other chemical modifiers to meet specified chemical and mechanical requirements. The
process through which photopolymers are cured is referred to as the photo-polymerization process.
Photopolymerization:
Polymerization of photopolymers is normally an energetically favorable or exothermic reaction.
However, in most cases, the formulation of a photopolymer can be stabilized to remain un-reacted at
ambient temperature. A catalyst is required for polymerization to take place at a reasonable rate. This
catalyst is usually a free radical which may be generated either thermally or photo-chemically. The
source of a photo-chemically generated radical is a photo-initiator, which reacts with an actinic photon
to produce the radicals that catalyze the polymerization process. Photo-initiator molecules, Pi, which are
mixed with the monomers, M, are exposed to a UV source of actinic photons, with energy of hν. The
photo-initiators absorb some of the photons and are in an excited state. Some of these are converted
into reactive initiator molecules, P•, after undergoing several complex chemical energy transformation
steps. These molecules then react with a monomer molecule to form a polymerization initiating
molecule, PM•. This is the chain initiation step. Once activated, additional monomer molecules go on to
react in the chain propagation step, forming longer molecules, PMMM• until a chain inhibition process
terminates the polymerization reaction. The longer the reaction is sustained, the higher will be the
molecular weight of the resulting polymer. Also, if the monomer molecules have three or more reactive
chemical groups, the resulting polymer will be cross-linked, and this will generate an insoluble
continuous network of molecules. During polymerization, it is important that the polymers are
sufficiently cross-linked so that the polymerized molecules do not re-dissolve back into the liquid
monomers. The photo-polymerized molecules must also possess sufficient strength to remain
structurally sound while the cured resin is subjected to various forces during recoating.
Advantages:
(1) Round the clock operation. The SLA can be used continuously and unattended round the clock.
(2) Good user support. The computerized process serves as a good user support.
(3) Build volumes. The different SLA machines have build volumes ranging from small to large to suit the
needs of different users.
(4) Good accuracy. The SLA has good accuracy and can thus be used for many application areas.
(5) Surface finish. The SLA can obtain one of the best surface finishes amongst RP technologies.
(6) Wide range of materials. There is a wide range of materials, from general-purpose materials to
specialty materials for specific applications.
Disadvantages:
(1) Requires support structures. Structures that have overhangs and undercuts must have supports that
are designed and fabricated together with the main structure.
(2) Requires post-processing. Post-processing includes removal of supports and other unwanted
materials, which is tedious, time consuming and can damage the model.
(3) Requires post-curing. Post-curing may be needed to cure the object completely and ensure the
integrity of the structure.
Applications:
(1) Models for conceptualization, packaging and presentation.
(2) Prototypes for design, analysis, verification and functional testing.
(3) Parts for prototype tooling and low volume production tooling.
(4) Patterns for investment casting, sand casting and molding.
(5) Tools for fixture and tooling design, and production tooling.
There are two different types of approaches used in SLA:
BOTTOMUP APPROACH
TOPDOWN APPROACH
