Design Guidelines: Stereolithography

Our basic guidelines for stereolithography include important design considerations to help improve part manufacturability, enhance cosmetic appearance, and reduce overall production time.

We offer a number of secondary services to further enhance your 3D-printed project design or finish. These services are available when ordering a part manufactured by Protolabs.

Size

Maximum Dimensions

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NORMAL RESOLUTION 736mm x 635mm x 533mm
HIGH RESOLUTION

247mm x 245mm x 250mm
MICRO RESOLUTION

127mm x 127mm x 63mm

 

applications engineers working on CAD model

Design Feedback
For additional questions, please contact an applications engineer at
[email protected] or +44 (0) 1952 683047.

Accuracy

Layer Thickness

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NORMAL RESOLUTION 0.1mm
HIGH RESOLUTION 0.05mm
MICRO RESOLUTION 0.025mm

 

Minimum Feature Size

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NORMAL RESOLUTION 0.25mm for the XY draw plane (0.406mm for the Z build direction)
HIGH RESOLUTION 0.13mm for the XY draw plane (0.406mm for the Z build direction)
MICRO RESOLUTION 0.07mm for the XY draw plane (0.2mm for the Z build direction)

 

Tolerances

For parts that are built in High Resolution (HR): The tolerances for well-designed parts are in the X / Y direction ± 0.05mm plus an additional ± 0.001mm / mm; In Z direction ± 0.13mm plus additional ± 0.001mm / mm.

For parts that are built in Normal Resolution (NR): The tolerances for well-designed parts are in the X / Y direction ± 0.1mm plus an additional ± 0.001mm / mm; In Z direction ± 0.13mm plus additional ± 0.001mm / mm.

For parts that are built in Micro Resolution (MR): The tolerances for well-designed parts in the X / Y direction ± 0.05mm plus an additional ± 0.001mm / mm; In Z-direction ± 0.13mm plus additional ± 0.001mm / mm.

Typically, tolerances are expected and achieved on well-designed parts.

Materials

ABS-LIKE
PC-LIKE
PP-LIKE
  • Accura Xtreme
  • Accura Xtreme White 200

VIEW ALL MATERIALS >

UV laser curving stereolithography part

Surface Finishes

UNFINISHED Dots, or standing"nibs," remain evident on the bottom of the part from the support structure remnants.
NATURAL
 Supported surfaces are sanded down to eliminate the support nibs.
STANDARD
 Supported surfaces are sanded, and the entire part is finely blasted for a consistent look. Note that the layers are still present.

micro resolution stereolithography part

Equipment

Our stereolithography machines consists of Vipers, ProJets, and iPros. In high-resolution mode, Vipers and ProJets can make parts with extremely tiny features and crisp details, while in normal-resolution mode, they can build cost-effective parts very quickly.

iPros have extremely large build volumes at 736mm by 635mm by 533mm, yet are still able to image highly detailed parts easily.

a row of large-format stereolithography machines
applications engineers discuss 3D printing CAD model

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