*WINNER* Efficiency and Print Quality Benchmarking Between Fused Filament Fabrication and Stereolithography Processes

Abstract

As additive manufacturing (AM) is becoming ubiquitous, the two most prevalent 3D Printing technologies in almost every sector of life are Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Stereolithography (SLA) resin printing. While FFF printing is considered to be a cheaper, faster process, SLA is considered to have better surface quality and dimensional accuracy. The objective of this research is to establish a detailed power consumption, process duration, and surface roughness comparison between the two technologies. Using varying infill pattern, infill density, and layer thickness, test specimens (0.5 in. cubes) were printed on SLA and FFF printers, with the power consumption measured using a wattmeter and surface roughness measured using a profilometer. The SLA process is shown to have marked improvements over FFF in power consumption and surface finish, while FFF is faster and less expensive per part. This presentation will report the current findings of the ongoing research study detailing the benchmarking of both processes.