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Since the appearance of 3D printing in the 1980s, the technology has come a long way to become highly appreciated by professionals. First created for rapid prototyping, 3D printers proved useful in quite a number of fields, from heavy machinery to the beauty industry, not only for making prototypes, but also for consumer goods batch production and much more.

Hi everyone! This is Top 3D Shop, and in this video, you will get to know everything about the professional segment of 3D printers, as well as the best models of FDM-based devices, with more types to come in one of our next videos.

When one plans on purchasing a 3D printer, the first question to answer is what the device is going to be used for. Based on your particular needs, you can complete a list of requirements, and that will serve you in making a decision. Further on we are going to discuss some key points to help you with the list.

The first thing to consider is the printer type. The most common printing processes to date seem to be material fusion, vat photopolymerization, and powder bed fusion, hence the technologies we are going to consider in this two-part review: fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (mostly LCD-based devices, though other interesting technologies are present), and selective laser sintering (SLS). For SLM 3D printers, which are designed to print in metal powders, check our dedicated overview.

The choice of the printer type depends to a great extent on your particular requirements, as all the technologies have their strong and weak points.

FDM-based machines are probably the most affordable of the three, and they prove extremely useful for rapid prototyping or producing end-use parts with relatively simple designs, where high precision and smooth surface finish are not put first. It’s also a great option for hobbyists due to a wide selection of low-cost models in the market to choose from.

Based on vat photopolymerization process, resin 3D printing, on the other hand, allows for highly detailed prints with a perfectly smooth surface finish, but they always require certain post-processing. Such equipment is a good choice when precision is a key point, in areas such as dentistry and jewelry, for instance.

SLS technology has been traditionally employed for industrial applications; such machines are generally significantly larger and more expensive than FDM- or resin-based. They turn out to be extremely efficient in creating strong functional models with very complex geometries.

Now, let’s dwell upon some of the key parameters affecting the choice of a professional 3D printer, such as resolution, materials supported, and print quality.

Resolution is the first thing to come to mind when speaking of the printed object quality. The XY resolution is determined by the smallest possible movement of the printer’s head, while the Z-axis resolution is commonly referred to as layer height, or layer thickness, and many manufactures use this parameter speaking of the printer’s resolution in general. The thinner the layer your machine is able to print, the more detailed and precise model you’ll get. Resin 3D printers are capable of providing the highest resolution of the three technologies under discussion, while FDM machines evidently lose this battle.

The choice of consumables naturally depends on the technology the printer is based on. FDM printers use thermoplastics in the form of filaments; resin machines employ various types of photosensitive liquid resins. Engineering-grade thermoplastics in the form of powder are used in SLS printing. Speaking of professional 3D printing we can’t but mention a whole lot of special-purpose materials used by industrial-grade machines, when specific properties of the final parts are highly needed. Those can be composites, like carbon fiber or glass-filled materials, different high-performance and engineering-grade plastics, special dental resins.