What is 3D printing?

3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is a family of processes that produces objects by adding material in layers that correspond to successive cross-sections of a 3D model. Plastics and metal alloys are the most commonly used materials for 3D printing, but it can work on nearly anything—from concrete to living tissue.

Benefits & Limitations of 3D Printing

It is important to understand that 3D printing is a rapidly developing technology. It comes with its unique set of advantages, but also lags behind traditional manufacturing in some ways.

Benefits of 3D Printing

Geometric complexity at no extra cost

Very low start-up costs

Customization of each and every part

Low-cost prototyping with very quick turnaround

Large range of (speciality) material

Limitations of 3D Printing

Lower strength & anisotropic material properties

Less cost-competitive at higher volumes

Limited accuracy & tolerances

Post-processing & support removal

At Reach, we can provide various of 3D printing serves, such as POLYJET, FDM, SLS, SLA. Custom solutions to meet your unique business needs. 

Let your ideas take shape with 3D printing!

POLYJET

PolyJet is a powerful 3D printing technology that produces smooth, accurate parts, prototypes and tooling. With microscopic layer resolution and accuracy down to 0.1 mm, it can produce thin walls and complex structure using the widest range of materials available with any technology.

This technology is becoming more and more popular oversea as it almost build the part exact to what you expect!

Material: VeroPureWhite, VeroBlackPlus, VeroGray, VeroBlue,VeroFlex , VeroCyan, VeroMagenta, VeroYellow; Agilus30, TangoPlus, TangoBlackPlus; VeroClear, RGD720.

Tolerance: 0.02-0.05mm

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)

FDM is the most cost-effective way of producing custom thermoplastic parts and prototypes. It also has the shortest lead times - as fast as next-day-delivery - due to the high availability of the technology. A wide range of thermoplastic materials is available for FDM, suitable for both prototyping and some functional applications.

As of limitations, FDM has the lowest dimensional accuracy and resolution compared to the other 3D printing technologies. FDM parts are likely to have visible layer lines, so post-processing is often required for a smooth surface finish. Additionally, the layer adhesion mechanism makes FDM parts inherently anisotropic. This means that they will be weaker in one direction and are generally unsuitable for critical applications.

Material: ABS-M30, ABS-ESD7, ABS-M30i, ASA, PC-ABS, PC, PC-ISO, Nylon 12, Nylon 12CF, Nylon 6, ULTEM 9085, ULTEM 1010, TPU 92A, Antero 800NA(PEKK), PPSF, ST-130

Tolerance: 0.05-0.08mm

SLA

SLA use a UV light source to cure (solidify) liquid resin in a vat layer-by-layer. After printing, the part needs to be cleaned from the resin and exposed to a UV source to improve its strength. Next, the support structures are removed and, if a high quality surface finish is required, additional post-processing steps are carried out.

SLA can produce parts with very high dimensional accuracy, intricate details and a very smooth surface finish ideal that are ideal for visual prototypes. A large range of speciality materials, such as clear, flexible, castable and biocompatible resins, or materials taylored for specific industrial applications, are also available

Material: Standard resin, Tough Resin(ABS-like),Durable Resin(PP-like),  Clear Resin, Rubber-like, Heat Resistant Resin,

Ceramic Filled Resin, Castable Resin, Dental Resin.

Tolerance:0.1-0.2mm

SLS

SLS is an Additive Manufacturing process that belongs to the Powder Bed Fusion family. In SLS, a laser selectively sinters the particles of a polymer powder, fusing them together and building a part layer-by-layer. The materials used in SLS are thermoplastic polymers that come in a granular form.

SLS parts have very good, almost-isotropic mechanical properties, so they are ideal for functional parts and prototypes. Since no support structures are required (the unsintered powder acts as support), designs with very complex geometries can be easily manufactured. SLS is also excellent for small-to-medium batch production (up to 100 parts), since the bin can be filled throughout its volume and multiple parts can be printed at a single production run.

Material: Nylon, TPU, PA11, Carbon Filled, Glass Filled

Tolerance: 0.1-0.2mm

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