A practical comparison of resin photopolymerisation, fused filament fabrication, selective laser sintering and metal laser powder-bed fusion.
| Process | Typical strength | Surface / detail | Support strategy | Typical role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLA / Resin | Application dependent | High | Printed supports normally required | Prototypes, patterns, detailed models |
| FFF | Good to high with engineering polymers | Moderate | Supports where geometry requires | Functional parts, tooling, large-format parts |
| SLS / Nylon | Good functional performance | Moderate | Powder bed is self-supporting | Functional parts, small-batch production |
| Metal LPBF | High, alloy/process dependent | High with post-processing as required | Supports / process design often required | Precision metal components, research, production |
Photopolymer processes are suited to fine detail, smooth surfaces, master patterns and visually demanding prototypes.
Detail, surface finish, large visual prototypes or pattern-making matter more than raw material toughness.
Functional geometry, tooling, larger parts, engineering polymers and lower-cost iteration are the priority.
Filament extrusion ranges from desktop prototyping to industrial heated-chamber systems able to process demanding engineering materials, subject to machine/material validation.
SLS fuses polymer powder layer by layer. Unsintered powder supports the build, enabling dense nesting and complex functional parts without conventional printed supports.
SHTITECH is qualifying equipment and supply partners before publishing a specific SLS machine offer.
Laser powder-bed fusion processes metal powder in an inert environment. Equipment selection must be matched to alloy, productivity, part envelope and site controls.