Stereolithography (SLA)

Stereolithography (SLA) is a vat photopolymerization process. It begins with a build tank filled with liquid UV-curable resin. A UV laser beam is precisely focused onto the resin surface, tracing a cross-section of the 3D model. Where the laser hits, the resin instantly hardens (cures) into solid plastic.

After one layer is complete, the build platform lowers, submerged in the tank. A recoating blade then sweeps across the surface, ensuring a fresh, thin layer of resin covers the previous part. The laser proceeds to cure the next layer, bonding it to the one below. This cycle repeats, building the object upside-down, layer by layer, from the bottom up.

Once printing is finished, the object is carefully removed. It requires post-processing: washing in a solvent to remove excess sticky resin and subsequent curing in a UV oven. This final curing step fully solidifies the resin, achieving the part’s optimal strength and stability.