Choosing the Right Materials for SLA 3D Printing

Choosing the Right Materials for SLA 3D Printing

In 3D printing choosing the right materials can be a complicated and sometimes confusing process. There are so many different properties to consider and complex terminology to deal with. There is no magic material that performs well in all areas, strength in one area will generally lead to weakness in another areas, so it's important to be aware of the relative pros and cons of each characteristic. This article will act as a guide to the process of selecting the right material and give an in-depth look into the specific materials that ProtoFab offers.

First, let's discuss some of the main properties that you need to consider in SLA 3D printing.

Strength and robustness

The concept of strength and robustness are quite broad and cover a range of different properties. One of the best measures of how robust a material will be is tensile strength. This is a measure of how much force is necessary to stretch a material until it breaks. Related to this is tensile modulus (Young's modulus), which is a measure of how much force is required to deform a material (in other words its stiffness).