Table 1.

Summary of 3D printer technologies

3D printer technology	Type of materials used	Strengths	Limitations
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)	Thermoplastics	Low cost, easy to operate, wide variety of usable thermoplastic materials for printing	Relatively long print times, print resolution low compared with other types of printers (0.1–1.2 mm)
Stereolithography (SLA)	Photosensitive resins	Can be low cost, high resolution (0.025–0.1 mm), excellent print surface quality	Relatively long print times, extensive post-processing required, higher end expensive industrial grade printers
Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP)	Photosensitive resins	Extremely fast print speeds, high resolution prints	Printers cannot be purchased, but may be leased on a year-to-year basis
PolyJet	Photosensitive resins	Extremely high resolution (16 microns), multi-durometer printing, multi-coloured printing, large build volume	Expensive to purchase and operate, printed objects are relatively brittle
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)	Chamber of powdered material including nylons, glass, ceramics and metal	Very large build volumes can produce mechanically functional prints out of ceramics and metals, excellent surface quality and precision	Expensive to purchase and operate, difficult to operate and calibrate