Originally Published EMDM November/December 2001
INDUSTRY NEWS
SLA System Offers High-Performance in a Compact Size
Jamie Graham
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A
stereolithography apparatus is capable of producing small, highly detailed
parts.
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For improved solid
imaging, a stereolithography apparatus (SLA) combines standard and high-resolution
part building in a single unit. The Viper si2 from 3D Systems (Orsay, France)
is suited for medical device applications because the high-resolution mode allows
for the production of small, highly detailed parts. It can be used for rapid
modelling and prototyping, injection moulding, and investment casting.
The system provides
many of the advantages of a large SLA machine, but in a much smaller platform.
“The Viper si2 system combines the most advanced features of our stereolithography
technology onto a single platform,” says Jeff
Krinks, public relations manager for 3D Systems. Advantages over larger SLA
systems include longer laser life, lower costs, a faster scanning system, consistent
part quality, and a greater range of applications. The Viper si2 uses a smart
laser that adjusts its optical parameters through software, operating with either
a standard or high-resolution beam. In high-resolution mode, the system’s
laser beam width is 0.003 in. for fine detail.
The system runs
on 3D Lightyear 1.2 software that captures a digital file created through CAD
and prepares the file to be built on the Viper si2 system. The user chooses
part orientation, support structures, material type, and build mode. Then the
software slices the part into algorithms that are interpreted by the machine
and subsequently drawn by the laser.
FineLine Prototyping
(Raleigh, NC, USA) served as a test site for the Viper si2 and used the system
to produce syringes, diagnostic kits, and parts with small flow channels. “The
system allowed us to rapidly produce tooling inserts with very high resolution.
We were able to use this system to produce a variety of highly detailed medical
devices,” says Rob Connelly, president of FineLine Prototyping.
The parts created
by the laser can be used as functional prototypes or as master patterns for
casting or forming applications. The company recently acquired OptoForm (Pulnoy,
France), a company that develops SLA systems that use paste materials. Krinks
says that although the technology 3D Systems acquired through the purchase is
still in development, the company plans on producing equipment that will build
metal and composite parts for direct rapid manufacturing or rapid tooling applications.
“This would allow a manufacturer to build an end-use product directly from
the machine, which would have obvious time and cost benefits for medical device
manufacturers,” he says.
For more information,
contact 3D Systems France, Parc Club Orsay Université, 26 rue Jean Rostand,
F-9183 Orsay, France; phone: +33 1 69351717; Internet: www.3dsystems.com; e-mail:
moreinfo@3dsystems.com.
Copyright ©2001 European Medical Device Manufacturer
