If you are new to the world of physical printing, you may wonder what is a DLP printer. Some of the best printers, after all, are 3D printers, and DLP printers are a sub-genre of this category. A DLP printer uses liquid resin and a digital light source to create 3D models. So want to learn more about DLP printing and the advantages of this printing method? Keep reading to find out.
Before learning the best resin for 3D printers, or the best filament, it is helpful to understand how these printers work. These printers make 3D models out of raw materials, even if you are comparing DLP vs SLA 3D printers. They use a variety of these raw materials if you are wondering what resin 3D printing is. Beyond the materials, there are many types of 3D printers out there if you are wondering what an LCD printer is.
Have plenty of backup resin on-hand in case you encounter issues while creating complex 3D models.
Digital light processing, or DLP, printers are resin-based machines that use a dedicated light source to cure the resin as they work to finish 3D models. They are similar to SLA printers (stereolithography) with one significant difference. SLA printers use a small laser to trace each layer, and DLP printers use a larger light to flash entire layers in place at once.
There are a number of advantages to choosing this type of 3D printer over every other design out there.
Resin printers are known to be more expensive than filament printers, as both the printer itself and the materials are on the pricier side. However, DLP printers are the most budget-friendly resin-based option at your disposal. The resin itself will still be slightly more expensive than filament, but otherwise, you will protect the sanctity of your bank account by going the DLP route.
Like all resin-based printers, DLP models excel at creating accurate and highly detailed designs, which is why they have found success in the world of rapid prototyping. The accuracy goes down with larger items, so DLP printers are often used to make replacement parts that are on the smaller side. This includes detailed cogs and the like.
STAT: DLP printing can be used to print extremely intricate resin design items like toys, jewelry molds, dental molds, figurines, and other items with fine details. Due to it curing the entire layer at once, it’s much faster than SLA. (source)
Like all resin printers, DLP models are on the faster side, especially when compared to their cousins in the world of filament. If you are looking to shave off a bit of time when printing, go DLP.