Since discovering the world of the internet decades ago, I’ve long been a fan of webinars, podcasts, and the variety of educational tools to be found—often to my amazement—and generally free of charge. Webinars especially offer an opportunity to avail yourself of information, often quite valuable, without having to drive to a class or fly to a conference. If there’s a specific niche that interests you, often if you search around enough, you’ll find an online presentation that is relevant to your needs.
At 3DPrint.com, as we work with a host of sponsors and experts within the 3D design and 3D printing industry, we try to make it as easy as possible for you to find the online resources you need. And as a matter of fact, you may have checked in with us last month for the first in our series of webinars, as we hosted a presentation by Body Labs on June 23rd, called ‘How to Use 3D Body Imaging to Innovate In the Apparel or Footwear Industry.’
In the next webinar, ‘How to Choose the Right 3D Printing Technology – FDM vs SLA vs SLS’ on August 4th, presented by Formlabs. we’re taking a more technical tact for 3D printing enthusiasts still on the fence as far as what type of 3D printer and technique they are interested in pursuing, whether that be in using FDM, SLA, or SLS.
Formlabs is able to share their expertise in this area as the manufacturer of the famed Form 3D printers, with the Form 2 released last year, offering an even further improvement on the beloved Form 1 and Form 1+ 3D SLA printers. The company, headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, sees their latest printer as the ‘next wave’ in 3D printing, and it is said to be one of the most advanced printers made.
With a wealth of experience in the 3D printing realm, FormlLabs will be able to help users learn more about their own (successful!) future in designing with 3D printing technology. We’ve certainly seen an array of innovations created on Formlabs technology, from researchers in the lab creating anti-acne masks to some seriously intense cosplay creations—and far more.
In this latest webinar, Formlabs wants you to take a look at the technology you are currently using, or planning to use, and then evaluate it after watching the webinar to see if you are indeed using the best printer for your needs as a designer. While Formlabs specializes in SLA 3D printing, there are several different technologies for a reason, and they are able to give you the pros and cons therein regarding Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA or SL), and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).
While you may feel trapped within one type of 3D printing process, certainly there are ways to experiment with other methods as you work on a variety of different projects—many requiring different tools for the best outcome. Things you need to consider in 3D printing and as to whether you choose FDM, SLA, or SLS are:
- Surface finish
- Speed
- Functional parts
- Implementation costs
As the Formlabs team will discuss, different technologies are appropriate for different cases, and this is something many users don’t realize.
“The plan is to help viewers learn how to choose the right 3D printing process for their use case. We’ll cover a brief history of the primary 3D printing technologies – FDM, SLA, and SLS, suggested usage scenarios for each process, design guidelines to make the most of each technology, and example use cases and applications,” says Blake Harris, Head of Growth at Formlabs.
Register now to attend the webinar on August 4, 2016 at 1 p.m. EST, and learn which 3D printing process is best for your designing needs. Can’t be at the webinar? Anyone who registers will receive an email with a full recording shortly after the event. Discuss further over in the Formlabs & 3D Printing Webinar forum at 3DPB.com.
