Difference between DLP and SLA (2024)

The term 3D printing encompasses several manufacturing technologies that build parts layer-by-layer. Each vary in the way they form plastic and metal parts and can differ in material selection, surface finish, durability, and manufacturing speed and cost.

There are several types of 3D printing, which include:

1. Stereolithography (SLA)
2. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
3. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
4. Digital Light Process (DLP)
5. Multi Jet Fusion (MJF)
6. PolyJet
7. Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
8. Electron Beam Melting (EBM)

Selecting the right 3D printing process for your application requires an understanding of each process’ strengths and weaknesses and mapping those attributes to your product development needs. Let’s first discuss how 3D printing fits within the product development cycle and then take a look at common types of 3D printing technologies and the advantages of each.

Stereolithography (SLA)

Stereolithography(SLA) is the original industrial 3D printing process. SLA printers excels at producing parts with high levels of detail, smooth surface finishes, and tight tolerances. The quality surface finishes on SLA parts, not only look nice, but can aid in the part’s function—testing the fit of an assembly, for example. It’s widely used in the medical industry and common applications include anatomical models and microfluidics.We use Vipers, ProJets, and iPros 3D printers manufactured by 3D Systems for SLA parts.

Digital Light Processing (DLP)

Digital light processing is similar to SLA in that it cures liquid resin using light. The primary difference between the two technologies is that DLP uses a digital light projector screen whereas SLA uses a UV laser. This means DLP 3D printers can image an entire layer of the build all at once, resulting in faster build speeds. While frequently used for rapid prototyping, the higher throughput of DLP printing makes it suitable for low-volume production runs of plastic parts.

Difference between DLP and SLA

• The primary difference between DLP and SLA is the light source; SLA uses a UV laser beam while the DLP uses UV light from a projector.
• In DLP, the UV light source remains stationary and it cures the complete layer of resin at a time. In SLA, the laser beam moves from point to point tracing the geometry.
• Since the curing (hardening) of the resin is done from point to point, SLA 3D printing is more accurate and the quality of the print is also better in comparison to DLP3D printing.
• The DLP 3D printer works faster and cuts down the 3D printing time significantly.
• In DLP 3D printer, the operator can control the intensity of UV light source and thereby control its effect on the resin. In SLA, the intensity of the laser beam cannot be adjusted and you have to change the laser light completely for different resin effect.
• The UV light source in DLP is less expensive and can be easily replaced. Laser lights are expensive in comparison.
• DLP is more suitable to build one-off small and intricate part while SLA is more suitable for printing several intricate parts in one go.
• DLP is useful in quickly printing large part without much detail while SLA is perfect to print a large part with intricate details.