3D Printers

Below is a simplified comparison of 3D printers I had an opportunity to test recently. The original SLA model was made years ago, hence the discoloration. The ZCorp and Dimension models were made in the summer of 2005. The SLA printers are not generally bought by architecture firms because of there expense (starting in the six figures) and need for specialized envirionments, although because of there high resolution we often use them for special parts. The other two are around the same price, generally under 40K with all the bells and whistles. You can roll over the images to see a close-up. The test model, Estuary of Time, was created in 3ds Max and exported as an STL file. It is about 5" high. The bottom line: We decided to go with the ZCorp printer because of its efficiency and ability to print difficult pieces the dimension could not. I'll try to update this analysis as time permits. It's important to note that these contingencies will be different for everyones' application. It is by no means all inclusive. This is just a simple guide based on personal observations.

SLA	Dimension SST	ZCorp-ZPrinter 310
Pros: highest resolution most durable Cons: extremely expensive removing supports extremely problematic for some pieces Link: http://www.stereolithography.com/	Pros: cleanest in the office ABS plastic material great on larger hard-edge models solluble support technology (though not as good as not needing supports at all) Cons: print time and material costs are far more than the zcorp print, yet far better than SLA was not able to handle extremely detailed builds Link http://www.dimensionprinting.com	Pros: high resolution fastest print time by far most inexpensive material and time costs no supports needed, which means fragile builds are more likely to succeed Cons: gypsum powder material tends to be "messier" than the ABS in working environments needs to be treeted with epoxy or superglue to harden "soft" looking hard edge Link: http://www.zcorp.com