PolyJet
Stratasys J750 Digital Anatomy Printer
- 490x390x200 mm (19.3×15.4×7.9 in) build volume
- 14 μm minimum layer thickness
- Multi-material printing
- Full color printing
What is PolyJet?
PolyJet is a form of material jetting additive manufacturing, where UV-curable resins are jet through an inkjet nozzle and cured as individual part layers. After each layer is cured, another is deposited above it until the entire part has been created.
PolyJet Advantages
- On-the-fly material mixing
- Full color parts
- Mechanical property matching to human bone and tissue
PolyJet Considerations
- Support structures are required, but can be inserted as a different material from the primary part material
- Materials limited to UV-curable photopolymers
Stereolithography (SLA)
3D Systems SLA 5000
- 508x508x584 mm (20x20x23 in) build volume
- 50 μm layer thickness
- Optically transparent parts
What is Stereolithography?
SLA uses an ultraviolet (UV) light source to cure layers of photopolymer resins. The resins are stored in a vat, and the build surface is dipped into the vat until it is coated with a thin layer of resin. The UV light source for the SLA 5000 at the AM Center is a laser that scans the cross section of the part to selectively cure the resin at each layer. Then, the build surface is lowered by the thickness of a single layer, and resin is recoated across the build surface to repeat the process.
SLA Advantages
- Ability to create transparent parts
- Improved surface finish over other AM systems
- Large build volume
SLA Considerations
- Limited to UV-curable resins
- Traditionally poorer mechanical properties
- Parts degrade over time
