Figure 4® delivers ultra-fast additive manufacturing technology with systems that offer the expandable capacity to meet your present and future needs. With access to a range of innovative materials, Figure 4 enables tool-less alternatives to traditional injection molding or urethane casting processes with direct digital production of precision plastic parts, as well as ultra-fast same-day rapid prototyping.
What is Stereolithography?
Stereolithography (SLA) is the first commercialized 3D printing technology, invented by 3D Systems’ Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Chuck Hull in the 1980s. It uses an ultraviolet laser to precisely cure photopolymer cross-sections, transforming them from liquid to solid. Parts are built directly from CAD data, layer-by-layer into prototypes, investment casting patterns, tools, and end-use parts.
Once the SLA printing process is complete, SLA parts are cleaned in a solvent solution to remove any residual uncured resin from the part surface. Cleaned parts are then cured in a UV oven.
What is Selective Laser Sintering?
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is a powder-based 3D printing technology that uses a laser to fuse material layers into a final part. The laser traces the pattern of each cross section of a 3D design onto a bed of powder. After one layer is built, the build platform lowers and another layer is built on top of the previous layer. This process continues until every layer is built and the part is complete.
SLS is the technology of choice for a range of functional applications, including those with snap fits, living hinges and other mechanical joints. The material range and platform sizes available for SLS also make it a great option for the direct production of products requiring strength and heat resistance.
What is Extrusion 3D Printing?
Extrusion printing, sometimes referred to fused filament fabrication (FFF) or fused granulate fabrication (FGM), starts when a thermoplastic feedstock—such as plastic filament or pellets—is forced through a heated nozzle, melting the material and depositing it on a print surface. Either the nozzle, the print bed, or a combination of the two are moved on a gantry in XYZ space, enabling the gradual creation of an object from the bottom up, layer by layer.
Extrusion 3D printers, ranging from affordable desktop units to large-format production machines, are widely used across industries due to their versatility, low-cost feedstocks, and user-friendly operation. They find applications in prototyping, jigs and fixtures, tooling and patterns, end-use parts, and more.
What is Selective Laser Sintering?
MultiJet Printing (MJP) is an inkjet printing process that uses piezo printhead technology to deposit either photocurable plastic resin or casting wax materials, layer-by-layer. MJP is used to build parts, patterns, and molds with fine feature detail to address a wide range of applications. These high-resolution printers are economical to own and operate, and use a meltable or dissolvable support material to simplify post-processing. This also makes support removal virtually a hands-free and allows even the most delicate features and complex internal cavities to be thoroughly cleaned without damage.
What is Direct Metal Printing?
Direct metal printing (DMP), also commonly known as direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), is an additive manufacturing technology that builds high quality complex metal parts from 3D CAD data. In the machine, a high precision laser is directed to metal powder particles to selectively build up thin horizontal metal layers one after the other. This cutting edge technology allows for the production of metal parts with challenging geometries, not possible using traditional subtractive or casting technologies. A variety of functional metals are available to print designs, from prototypes to production series of up to 20,000 units.
