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Theoretical Considerations

While it has already been mentioned elsewhere that a designer should focus design for manufacturability on the eventual production process, there are some simple factors that can be considered to lower the cost and speed the production of SLA parts.

Z-height and part volume drive up the build time - which correlates to a higher cost. It is obvious how to minimize these paramaters. Given roughly equal dimensions in x, y, and z, there is a third factor that can help choose the best orientation.

Stereolithography laser scan density is increased near the outside walls of the parts, and lessened for interior regions. As shown below, this means the amount of time the laser spends curing the polymer is increased near the slice’s edges.

Two slices are shown: one from a part with a high volume to surface area ratio (Solid Part), and one with a low ratio (Thin Wall). Even if the “Thin Wall Part” has the same volume as the “Solid Part,” the build time will be longer, due to the greater area of the dense scanning regions.

By orienting the part to minimize the non-horizontal surface area, build times can be reduced by up to 30 percent. This tactic is valid for any SFF process - such as selective laser sintering - that spends more time processing walls than interior slice regions.