Home » News » News » Photocuring 3D printers: technical principles and selection of SLA, DLP and LCD

Photocuring 3D printers: technical principles and selection of SLA, DLP and LCD

Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-02-20 Origin: Site

Inquire

Photocuring 3D printers: technical principles and selection of SLA, DLP and LCD

In recent years, 3D printing has become very popular. According to the printing principle and printing materials, 3D printers can be divided into different types. As the manufacturer of photocuring resins, Bossin will discuss the 3D printers which use photocuring resins today. There are three common photocuring 3D printers: SLA, DLP and LCD. Let's talk about the principles and technical comparisons of these three photocuring 3D printers.

SLA is short for stereolithography technology. It is the earliest commercialized 3D printing technology. The basic principle of SLA molding is to use laser as the light source, and the laser beam focused by the lens scans the cross-section contour along the liquid surface according to the device instructions. The photosensitive resin in the scanned area is quickly solidified. Then the workbench is lowered by the thickness of one layer of cross section, and then another layer of cross section is solidified. In this way, the layers are stacked to form a three-dimensional entity.

DLP is digital light processing rapid prototyping technology. The basic principle of its prototyping is that the printed model will be cut into layers horizontally by the 3D printing software, and the projector will project the model shape of the first layer into the resin tank for photocuring. After the first layer is formed, the workbench will slightly raise, and project the next model shape into the resin tank for the next layer. The model is printed out in such repeated stacking manner. Different from the single-point exposure of SLA, DLP uses surface exposure, which can greatly increase the printing speed. At the same time, DLP is generally superior to SLA 3D printers in terms of accuracy and surface quality.

LCD is liquid crystal display technology, which is similar to DLP printing technology, but it does not use a projector to produce images. It uses the imaging principle of LCD screens to create selective transparent areas on the LCD screen. Ultraviolet light passes through the transparent areas, and irradiates the photosensitive resin in the resin tank for exposure and curing. After the curing time of each layer is over, the platform tray lifts the cured part, to allow the photosensitive resin to replenish and reflux. Then the platform drops again, and the thin layer between the model and the release film is exposed to ultraviolet light again, thereby curing and rising layer by layer to print into a beautiful three-dimensional model.

The three types of photocuring 3D printers have their own characteristics. So how do you choose the printer that suits you? If you need to print large-scale models and mass production, SLA is the best choice. If you pursue molding speed and printing accuracy, DLP is a good choice. If you focus on cost-effectiveness, LCD is a good choice.

As a manufacturer of photocurable resins, Bossin can customize suitable photocurable resins for 3D printing according to customer requirements. You are welcome to consult us for sample testing.

SLA DLP LCD

Related News

Corporate Video

Guangdong Bossin Novel Materials Technology Co., Ltd. is a hi-tech enterprise specializing in the R&D, production, sales and technical services of UV/EB curable materials, with honors of National Hi-Tech Enterprise, Contract-honoring & Trustworthy Enterprise in Guangdong Province, etc. Standing on the forefront of UV/EB curable material industry, Bossin has successfully applied for dozens of invention patents. “Customer priority and quality optimization” are our consistent service concept.
How to Select UV Monomers

In the photo-curing formulation system, apart from UV resins and photoinitiators, UV monomers also serve as a vital component. UV monomers not only adjust the viscosity of the system but also impart or enhance different properties of the cured film, such as enhancing adhesion, improving flexibility, and increasing wear resistance. Therefore, the rational use of various monomers is also an important link in formulation design.
Bifunctional UV monomer

As the name suggests, bifunctional UV monomers are molecules containing two reactive functional groups that participate in photopolymerization reactions. These functional groups are typically acrylates or methacrylates, with acrylates dominating the current market due to their superior reactivity and cost-effectiveness. Compared to their monofunctional counterparts, bifunctional UV monomers offer several advantages: Faster curing speed,Higher crosslinking density in the cured film,Good dilution properties,Reduced volatility and lower odor.
Monofunctional UV monomers

Monofunctional UV monomers refer to those containing only one group capable of participating in the curing reaction per molecule. The types of functional groups include acrylates, methacrylates, vinyls, vinyl ethers, epoxies, etc.
3D Printing Technology Dominated by Domestic Brands

LCD photocuring 3D printing technology, also known as Mask Stereolithography (MSLA), is an emerging additive manufacturing technology. Similar to SLA and DLP technologies, LCD photocuring also solidifies liquid resin via light exposure, but its uniqueness lies in the use of an LCD screen to control the light source. This technology utilizes the imaging principle of liquid crystal displays, where computer programs provide image signals to generate selective transparent regions on the LCD screen. Under UV illumination, the light passing through these transparent areas forms UV image regions, solidifying the liquid resin exposed to them, while areas blocked by the LCD remain uncured. This process is performed layer by layer based on the predefined 3D model, with cured resin layers accumulating to build the final three-dimensional object.
The Earliest Commercialized 3D Printing Technology

SLA technology mainly uses photosensitive resin as raw material and utilizes the characteristic that liquid photosensitive resin will be rapidly cured under ultraviolet irradiation. Photosensitive resin is generally liquid, and it will immediately cause a polymerization reaction under the irradiation of ultraviolet light with a certain wavelength to complete the curing. SLA focuses ultraviolet light with a specific wavelength and intensity on the surface of the photosensitive resin, so that it solidifies point-by-point and line-by-line, ultimately forming a complete cross-sectional layer. After completing the drawing operation of one layer, the lifting table moves a layer height in the vertical direction, and then another layer is cured. Layers are stacked to form a three-dimensional object, and the formation of the pattern of each layer is controlled by the movement of the laser beam. In theory, the laser beam can move in a large space. Therefore, SLA technology can print large-sized
Second Generation Photopolymerization 3D Printing Technology

Digital Light Processing (DLP) came into being over a decade after the emergence of Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA) technology. As a variant of SLA, it bears remarkable similarities to SLA in terms of molding technology, achieving comparable effects through different approaches. This technology is also widely acknowledged in the industry as the second-generation stereolithography technology.
Seven types of 3D printing

Previously we mentioned that 3D printing can be divided into 7 categories, including material extrusion, binder jetting, powder bed fusion, material jetting, sheet lamination, directed energy deposition, and stereolithography. Below we will introduce these 7 categories in details.