Introduction to 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing

3Dresyns statement:

"3D printing makes possible the direct and indirect additive manufacturing of an endless number of high performing and biocompatible materials, with unlimited physical, chemical, and mechanical properties, with precise and detailed dimensions, by anyone with enthusiasm and desire, with a minimum investment. It is the revolution of the 21st century, since it empowers and turns individuals and companies into empowered manufacturers of multifunctional 3D printed materials, either for their personal use or for subsequent sale"

Discover examples of printed products with our 3D resins:

Do you want to make plastic, ceramic or metal parts with 3D printing or rapid additive manufacturing? We will focus on manufacturing processes where Stereolithography SLA printing is used because of its:

  • Improved printing resolution vs other printing techniques: FDM
  • Low relative costs since professional SLA, DLP and LCD printer prices range from 200-2.000 Euro upwards
  • Widest range of materials availability: Discover our overwhelming 3Dresyns collections
Types of SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D printing with photoreactive 3D resins
  • Laser SLA: a laser scans and cures the prints on a selected area layer by layer with SLA 3D printers
  • Digital Light Processing DLP projection: a light projection of the image is cured on a selected area layer by layer with DLP 3D printers
  • LCD Liquid Crystal Display: a LCD panel acts as a mask selecting the transmission of light in certain selected area for curing layer by layer with light from a LED source positioned underneath. Types:
    • Multicolor RGB LCD panels: LCD printers
    • Monochrome LCD panels: MLCD printers

  • Inkjet: an inkjet 3d resin is injected hot and cured layer by layer with photoreactive inkjet 3D printers

Free hints for printer recommendations

Note. all these printing technologies use photoreactive 3D resins which are supplied online by 3Dresyns with just few clicks

Types of Additive Manufacturing AM processes:

  • Direct AM: 1 step/process
    • Direct printing of resins by SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D printing
  • Indirect AM: 2 steps/processes or more
    • Printing of injection molds by SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D printing + injection or casting of plastic resins, sintering ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials 

Direct AM: 1 step/process

Benefits: 

  • 1 step process: direct printing of models, prototypes and functional parts
  • Expensive molds can be avoided
  • Faster for short runs (low number of produced units)
  • Ideal for “changing” designs
  • Low printer costs for 3D resin printing with SLA, DLP & LCD
  • Functional materials with very high flexural strengths can be obtained with our functional 3D resins

     Drawbacks:

    • Expensive for long runs (high number of produced units)
    • Slow for long runs
    • Lower mechanical properties for competitors´ products than indirect manufacturing made with injected engineering materials such as polyamide "nylon", unless our 3Dresyn Nylon-like and 3Dresyns like best functional resins are used
    • Most competitors´ resins are fragile like eggshells or Christmas balls
    • Each 3D resin needs to be tuned/adjusted to each printer model: this limitation is overcome with our fast & easy printing instructions
    • Sintering ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials by direct manufacturing have significant limitations vs indirect manufacturing:

    Indirect AM: 2 steps/processes or more

    • Printing of injection molds by SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D printing + injection or casting resins, plastics, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials

    Types of injection molds:

     Types of Indirect Manufacturing:

    • Resin and plastic injection & Casting: conventional liquid casting resins at room temperature or our injection and casting resins at >70-80ºC are cast by gravity in the mold
    • Metal casting: molten metals are cast by gravity in gypsum molds made by
    • Resin and plastic injection at high temperature: solid or high viscous thermoplastic resins such as our injection resins, or conventional plastics, such as polyamide are injected hot (eg 290ºC) at certain pressure in molds printed by SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet printers
    • Ceramic and metal slurries "feedstock" for Ceramic & Metal Injection Molding CIM & MIM of technical ceramics and metals containing binders are injected hot at certain pressure in molds printed by SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet printers   
    • Powder slurries "feedstock" for Powder Injection Molding PIM & additive manufacturing of polymers and exotic nano and micron materials containing binders are injected hot at certain pressure in molds printed by SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet printers   

    Injection systems

    Required equipment for indirect manufacturing by injection of feedstocks of plastic resins, ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials, to produce composites, or 100% pure sintered materials after debinding the binder and sintering your chosen ceramics, metals, polymers, and exotic materials:

    Types of Injection units/machines:

    Where solid or viscous injection resin, plastic, ceramic, and metal feedstocks are heated and injected under pressure in molds.

    Ceramic and metal parts need to be debound and sintered at high temperature in furnaces to produce 100% sintered ceramics and metals parts/objects

    Indirect manufacturing

    The injection of Powder Injection Molding PIM binder slurries (including ceramic, metal, polymer (such as polyimide) and exotic material feedstocks) in 3D printed durable, and/or sacrificial molds (or printed by high temperature powder jetting) has unique benefits in comparison to direct printing of highly loaded 3D photopolymer resins with powders.

    Benefits:

    • Faster for medium and long runs (high number of produced units)
    • Cost effective for long runs (high number of produced units)
    • Ideal for making tougher biocompatible plastic materials such as polyamide "nylon", which can not directly printed by SLA, DLP, LCD or Inkjet, unless our unique 3Dresyn Nylon-like and 3Dresyns like best functional resins are used
    • Ideal for cost effective manufacturing of pure ceramics, metals, sinterable polymers such as polyimide, and exotic materials by combining the best of 3D printing and CIM & MIM technologies
    • Each “3D resin” does not need to be tuned/adjusted to each printer: only durable or sacrificial 3D resins for printing molds are tuned once in the printer
    • The injection of sintering ceramics, metals, polymers (such as polyimide), and exotic material feedstocks in 3D printed durable, and/or sacrificial molds has unique benefits in comparison to direct printing of highly loaded 3D photopolymer resins with powders:
      • faster debinding + sintering
      • affordable printers below 1000 Euro can be used for printing the molds
      • better sintered material properties: higher isotropy, density, lower porosity, etc…

      "Our goal in 3D printing: any color, any material, any process, any finishing, any end use application and any SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D printer"

      "3Dresyns offers the widest range of safe functional Stereolithography SLA, DLP, LCD and Inkjet 3D resins for safe printing of functional and biocompatible materials"

      How To Buy: Online Shopping of 3Dresyns in just few clicks: the widest range of 3D resins in the market to help you to attain the desired finish and quality of your 3D prints.

      “The aim of 3Dresyns is to provide the best Stereolithography and Inkjet resins and find solutions to unmet 3D printing market needs for any material, process and application”

      "3Dresyns is committed to innovation and development of safe and biocompatible 3Dresyns with safe synthetic and bio based raw materials from renewable sources"