Words In Front: In this essay, we dive into two 3D printing terms, SLA vs FDM, and compares SLA 3D printer with FDM printer with real data. In the end, we suggest an affordable and stable 3D printer - DOBOT Mooz.
- 1. As a designer, you are looking for a 3D printer for prototyping design arts?
- 2. Amazon presents you a long list of 3D printers for purchase. What to buy?
- 3. What’s a resin printer? What’s an FDM printer? Will a cheap SLA printer be a good choice for home use?
Whether you want to get a new 3D printer replacement, or whether you are a green hand looking for a 3D printing machine, above questions are real issues. Without knowing more about 3D printers, i.e., types, limitations, pros and cons, etc., you may fail to pick a 3D printer up to bar. Online sources seldom give you a whole picture. To help you out, we illustrate two mainstream 3D printers - SLA printer and FDM printer, and hopefully our comparison of the two types brings you what you expected.
What Is FDM 3D Printing?
FDM, short for Fused Deposition Modeling, is a fused filament printing method that’s widely used in 3D technology. FDM printer, popular among a myriad of hobbyists, uses a moving, heated printer extruder to melt, extrude and cool off thermoplastics filament, building design objects layer by layer. Simply put, it heats and shifts filament from solid to liquid, squeezes and cools the liquid to print on a point, and makes a move to next point. Repeating that, a machine drawing on a single layer is printed and finished. In the process of layer-by-layer printing, 3D model is made.
Tip: Are FFF And FDM The Same Tech? - “When I first started researching 3D printers I kept coming across the acronyms FFF and FDM. The machines looked the same and I found it perplexing and a bit confusing. I quickly found that FFF stands for Fused FIlament Fabrication and FDM stands for Fused Deposition modeling, but what’s the difference? Let me clear the air right now. There is no difference between FFF and FDM. None! Other than a trademark issue. Think of Kleenex and tissue paper as an easy example.” - An anonymous senior technician worded.
What Does SLA Stand For In 3D Printing?
SLA (a.k.a, stereolithography) is also a real 3D imaging method. It adopts another approach to shape 3D design. UV light and resin are the keys. A UV light projector(or laser) draws a slice painting by curing resin and hardening fluid from layer to layer. When the whole process is done, your prototype is complete, which is nifty.
It’s pretty clear that FDM printing is built upon force mechanics in Physics, while Chemistry principle is the foundation for SLA technology. When it comes to purchase, you may want to know: Which printer is better? An SLA printer? Or an FDM printer?
FDM 3D Printer VS SLA 3D Printer
Searching online for 3D printers, you may find groups of FDM machines and SLA printers available. But how to tell the difference? Let’s take a quick review in a table.
| Parameters |
FDM Printer 3D |
SLA Printer 3D |
| Accuracy |
0.3MM |
0.2MM |
| 3D Printing Mechanics |
Total force effect in Physics - extruder prints layer by layer. |
Chemical reaction - UV light hardens resin to print layer by layer. |
| Printing 3D Resolution |
Most in middle resolution. A few types in high resolution. |
Most in high resolution. Some brands render terrible results. |
| Price Range |
$460 - $1300 |
$650 - $ 6600 |
| Color-mixing 3D Printing |
Several brands support. |
Have no support. |
| 3D Printing Materials |
ABS, HIPS, PLA, PVA(Solid) |
Resin(Liquid) |
| Material Price Tag |
Around $14/kg -$20/kg - Cost-effective |
$31/(32 oz) - $60/(32 oz) - Expensive |
| Specific Application |
commercial grade (some are industrial grade), home use, art design |
industrial grade, scientific grade |
| Easy to Clean After Using |
Yes |
No |
Learning from the comparison table, you may realize the fact that FDM printers compete against SLA printers in price. FDM printer has a more reasonable price tag, cheaper & optional printing materials, and a wider application for consumer use. On the contrary, a quality SLA printer is best for scientific expertise prints, but unfortunately comes with a much higher price tag, with no exception, which makes SLA printer an unwise choice for personal use. Also, pay no attention to those SLA printing machines at a price lower than $1000, unless you want to get some 3D junk prototypes. From online reviews we’ve found, those cheap SLA printers have no precision guarantee.
An Inexpensive, High Resolution FDM 3D Printer to Use In Your Home - DOBOT MOOZ
Are you looking for the best FDM 3d printer for home use? Keep reading, 3D printer’s juice is flowing down.
DOBOT MOOZ, with trusted 3D printing quality, wins its market and builds a good reputation. Though this is an FDM type, it gears with an SLA standard accuracy - 0.2MM. That is to say, MOOZ is an industrial 3D printer but with a home printer price tag. Isn’t this wonderful? For both 3D printing enthusiasts and real users, MOOZ launches 3 modes for options - MOOZ-1, MOOZ-2, MOOZ-Full.
- *MOOZ-1 is a basic type - the simplest entry-level 3D printer.
- *MOOZ-2 is more like an upgrade version of MOOZ-1, adding one more Z axis and boxing 250g PLA filament.
- *MOOZ-Full, the ultimate 3D printer full set, additionally incorporates a CNC Carving Module and a Laser Engraving Module.
Legion of 3D printing enthusiasts recommends MOOZ for its reliability, easiness, cost-effectiveness and color-mixing printing. The excellent performance of MOOZ 3D printer is worth every penny. Purchase Now, you can get it at a time-limited discount.
