Stereolithography for Medical Prototyping

Stereolithography for
Medical Prototyping
Rob Connelly
President – FineLine Prototyping
September 7, 2011
There are a bewildering number of
prototyping technologies – which is
best for me?
Fused Deposition Modeling
Perfactory
Multi-Jet Modeling
3D Printing
Stereolithography
Selective laser sintering
PolyJet
There is no “best” - they are all tools
Outline
•! When to use SL?
•! Weaknesses
•! How does it work?
•! Medical news
•! Strengths
•! Applications
–! Resolution
–! Surface finish
–! Accuracy
–! Breadth of material
offerings
•! Future development?
SL system build process
Vat view
“Typical” Medical Device?
Strength – Feature Resolution and Detail
Objet
Z-Corp
Stereolithography
FDM
Shaded Image of Test Part
Differences in Imaging Style
Vector (SL, SLS, FDM)
Voxel
(Perfactory, VFlash)
Raster
(Objet, MJM,Z-Corp)
Process Medium Influences
Static
Liquid
SL
Extrusion
FDM
Powder
SLS
Dynamic Liquid
Objet
Micro Resolution
High Resolution
Strength – SL Accuracy
•! 3D Systems iPro
9000
•! 29” x 25” platform
•! Corner to corner
•! 90 Parts
•! 180 dimensions,
from 1” to 5”
3! = .0025”
"90 = .0012”
Weakness – Z-Axis Accuracy
•! This is a weakness of SL versus some of the others.
•! SL Layer thickness .001”-.004”
•! “Trapped Volumes” can result in feature errors as high
as .010” in some instances.
•! Z scale factor can vary on some parts.
•! Skilled operators can overcome these limitations in
some, but not all cases.
Strength – Dynamic Range of Part Size
Strength – Breadth of Material Choices
•! DSM alone offers 15 distinct materials, covering a
range of stiffnesses, strengths, thermal and optical
properties to suit a wide variety of end use needs.
•! Formulations can be custom made for specific markets
in some instances.
•! 3D Systems and Huntsman also offer a range of
materials.
Modulus of Elasticity
12000.0
Modulus (MPa)
10000.0
8000.0
6000.0
4000.0
2000.0
0.0
DSM Materials
DSM Materials
GP Plus
WaterClear
Ultra
9420
WaterShed
XC
WaterClear
NeXt
9120
ProtoGen
18420
ProtoTherm
Thermoplast
ic
NanoTool
NanoForm
HDT (C at 0.46MPa)
Heat Deflection Temp.
300
250
200
150
100
50
0
DSM Materials
NanoTool
NanoForm
ProtoTherm
GP Plus
WaterClear
Ultra
10% GF PC
NeXt
ProtoGen
18420
WaterShed
XC
9120
WaterClear
9420
ABS
PP
% Elongation to break
Elongation to Break
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Impact Resistance
SLArmor™ - Metal Clad Composite
Automated Assembly Fixture
Strength – Ease of Finishing
News – Biocompatible Mat’l
•! DSM created
protocol and
tested 11122
and 18420
•! Passed 10993
Level 1 testing
–! Skin Sensitization
–! Cytotoxicity
–! Irritation
•! Lot traceability
Summary
•! SL’s key strengths are its finely focused laser,
precision scanning, and controllable accuracy.
•! Use SL for applications requiring finest features, best
accuracy or smoothest surface finish.
•! If your applications require the production of small
parts with tight tolerances, there is no equal in the
industry.
Contact: Rob Connelly
rob@finelineprototyping.com
www.FineLinePrototyping.com