Using the SLA system to give a visual representation of an idea. This allows
research and development teams as well as private inventors to get a visual
depiction of their hand drafted ideas. The advantage of using this process for
conceptual modeling is that the translucency of the material allows internal features
to be viewed without cutting the part or changing the geometry.
Because of the high precision of the SLA process, and the translucency and
density of the photopolymer materials, SLA is developing medical applications.
CT scan and MRI data can be used to create a viable 3D model which can then
be prototyped. Surgeons can then use this model to prefit implants and plan
surgical procedures, or in the case of the mummy skull at right, archeologists
can gender and age without desecrating a religious artifact with autopsies.
By prototyping a part as only a thin shell of the solid design, an SLA piece can
be used much like a "lost wax" casting pattern. This allows for low volume
production of metal versions of the part without the costly and time-intensive
production of a casting die.