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The most important facts about tolerances in 3D printing processes
In addition to costs, speed, material properties and surface quality, one of the most important questions when planning 3D printing jobs is accuracy and tolerances.
Since this point in particular is particularly complex, we would like to delve deeper into it in this article.
Basic information about tolerances and accuracy in 3D printing processes
In general, of course, it should be noted that the deviation tolerance is directly determined by the respective process. As a rule of thumb, however, this can be set to a minimum of 0.1 mm.
This also makes it clear that the deviations in 3D printing – at least up to now – are larger than in injection molding (in the tenth range) or in machining processes (definitely in the hundredth range).
Resolution versus Tolerance
To avoid a common misunderstanding: tolerance must never be equated with resolution. In concrete terms, this means, for example, that for a PolyJet printer with a resolution of 15 µm it cannot be assumed that the tolerance is correspondingly low.
General tolerances for 3D activation
We at 3D Activation manufacture plastics and metals according to the DIN 16742 specified general tolerances, in 3 process-independent categories: m (medium), c (rough) and v (very rough).
1st category: m (medium)
This category includes stereolithography (SLA printing), polygraphy/photolithography, vacuum casting or injection molding, as well as CNC milling or laser cutting.
2nd category: c (rough)
2 classic additive technologies fall under c, namely selective laser sintering (SLS printing) and selective laser melting (SLM process).
3rd category: v (very rough)
The FDM (=Fused Deposition Modeling) process and the 3DP process (i.e. 3D printing with polymer plaster) fall under category v of DIN 16742.
More categories for selecting 3D printing processes
In addition to taking into account accuracies and tolerances, four other points are particularly relevant when planning 3D printing jobs.
1.) costs
In extreme cases, these can differ by a factor of 100, such as when comparing selective laser melting (SLM metal printing) and FDM processes.
2.) speed
In some processes, such as the CLIP process from Carbon 3D (we reported on this), this is so high that even overnight production is possible.
3.) Material properties
Here, in particular, the mechanical, chemical & thermal resilience of the desired component must be observed.
4.) Surfaces
We at 3D Activation offer you different colors and surface qualities in smooth and rough.
In another article we will explain some typical sources of error in the area of tolerances and accuracies. Until then, stay with us and find out more on our website.
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