Digital Light Processing – DLP 3D printing technology is a technology quite similar in operation and results to Stereolithography (SLA) – the first invented & patented 3D printing technology ever.
It is a technology which offers the highest resolution from amongst the other technologies and is one of the fastest growing technology. The DLP technology has vast applications which mostly center around aesthetics, healthcare, & jewelry although it has expanded its horizons in other applications as well.
Here, through this article we will show you some of the popular applications of the DLP 3D printing technology
Jewelry Applications
Jewelry has been one of the earliest adopter of the DLP 3D printing technology. Jewelers all around the world understood the potential of the technology and leveraged it to develop unique & customized jewelry pieces.
By directly creating wax pieces of the design, a tedious first step of creating a mold can be eliminated and thereby time and money can be saved.
The jewelry market is growing rapidly and is now being used by smaller jewelers and even random individuals by getting their designs 3D printed from service bureaus.
Dentistry Applications
Apart from jewelry, dentists have widely popularized the 3D printing technology. The DLP 3D printing technology is perfectly suited to this application and can generate faster results while printing surgical guides, crowns & bridges, and orthodontic devices. All these products, previously, took weeks and even months to be developed to suit the patient and some still had minor problems but now with the 3D printing technology, the products are accurate to as low as 25 microns and even less.
Such precision was not achieved previously and this sets the DLP 3D printing technology apart and most capable of use complex manufacturability.
Bio-compatible Applications
For dentists to use the technology it is important for the products to be bio-compatible. When a surgical guide is logged in a patient’s mouth, or even aligners, the patient saliva comes in contact with the extraneous part and so it is mandatory to use only such materials which will not cause harm to the patient.
For this reason, material scientists have developed bio-compatible resins which do not negatively affect the patient while the procedure is being carried out. These bio-compatible resins and the subsequent parts can also be installed in the body like dentures (prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth).
Medical Devices
Apart from FDM technology, the DLP 3D printing technology is also largely used for recreating medical models and even precision medical devices. Models like the bones, DNA study samples, dental models, muscle models, etc. And medical devices majorly for the hearing aid industry.
Entertainment Industry Models
Entertainment industry which mostly requires models in limited quantities can benefit a lot from DLP 3D printing technology. It has the capability to rapidly create scaled-models, props, stop-motion animation models, costume add-ons, etc.
The reason DLP technology is used in the entertainment industry is because it has the capability to print finer features which results in a smooth surface finish. The layer lines are almost invisible and with a minor surface finishing operation, these layers can be rubbed off.
Gifting
As the technology is used for aesthetic model making, it also has huge applications in the gifting industry. Models are 3D printed and appropriately post-processed to make them visually appealing. These models are then used as gifting items.
Apart from the above mentioned applications, DLP 3D printing technology is also used in consumer goods industry, educational products, aerospace, automotive, etc. Though the DLP 3d printing technology is used widely is a lot of sectors, it is a complex and sometime even a costly technology for new starters. So, it is important that suitable and reliable service bureaus are identified to get the best product output.
