Quickparts Manufacturing Process Comparison Guide

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Process:

MFG Category:

Process	Category	Applications	Instant Quoting Maximum Dimensions	Layer Thickness	Material Options	Finish Options	Lead Time Options	Recommended Minimum Feature Size
Stereolithography - SLA	3D Printing	Excellent for fit, form, and function testing Design verification models for appearance and proof-of-concept models Best surface quality and highest resolution, ideal for trade show quality parts High precision and accuracy Easily finished and painted for demonstration/presentation models	Normal/Standard Res: 1500 mm × 750 mm × 550 mm (59" × 29.5" × 21.5") High Res: 380 mm × 380 mm × 254 mm (15" × 15" × 10")	Normal/Standard Resolution: 101.6 µm (0.004") High Resolution: 50.8 µm (0.002")	Accura 25 (ABS/PP-Like) Accura Xtreme White 200 Accura Xtreme Grey (High-Impact ABS-Like) Accura SL 7820 Black (ABS-Like) Accura 60 (PC-Like) Accura ClearVue (PC-Like) Accura Bluestone (High-Temp ABS-Like) Accura 48 (High-Temp PC-Like) Accura CastPro	Natural Standard Paint-Ready Painted Quick Clear Clearpart Custom	As little as 2 business days	Normal/Standard Res: 635 µm (0.025") High Res: 254 µm (0.015")
Selective Laser Sintering - SLS	3D Printing	Ideal for durable, impact-resistant, functional parts with a variety of applications Capable of producing snap fits and living hinges Excellent heat and chemically resistant	508 mm × 508 mm × 762 mm (20" × 20" × 30")	101.6 µm (0.004")	Duraform PA Duraform GF Duraform HST Duraform EX Black Duraform EX Natural Duraform TPU	Standard Uncoated Standard Coated Paint-Ready Painted, Dyed	As little as 3 business days	762 µm (0.030")
Direct Metal Printing - DMP	3D Printing	Perfect for complex metal parts that need to be manufactured quickly and accurately Fully dense parts with excellent surface finish	269.24 mm × 269.24 mm × 400 mm (10.6" × 10.6" × 15.7")	Normal/Standard Res: 60 µm (0.0024") High Res: 30 µm (0.0012")	AL10 AL12 Titanium Grade 23 Stainless Steel 316 Stainless Steel 17-4 Inconel 625 Inconel 718 Maraging Steel	Anodized EDM Grinding Heat-Treated Milling Polished Turning	As little as 8 business days	254 µm (0.010")
Fused Deposition Modeling - FDM	3D Printing	Excellent for demonstration models with full color printing Perfect for architecture, consumer product design, healthcare, educational models, crystallography, medical teaching models, and more	914.4 mm × 609.6 mm × 914.4 mm (36" × 24" × 36")	177.8 µm, 254 µm, 330.2 µm (0.007", 0.010", 0.013") layers	ABS M30 ABS M30i ABS M100 PC PC-ISO PC-ABS Ultem 9085 Ultem 1010 Nylon 12	Standard Paint-Ready Painted	3-5 (maybe longer due to size and quantity)	1524 µm (0.060")
Digital Light Processing - DLP	3D Printing	DLP delivers ultra-high speed and accuracy, with a wide range of material choices Ideal for low-volume production and quick-turn prototyping	124.46 mm × 71.12 mm × 195.58 mm (4.9" × 2.8" × 7.7")	Normal/Standard Res: 50.8 µm (0.002") High Res: 25.4 µm (0.001")	PRO-BLK 10 Rigid Grey Rigid White FLEX-BLK 20 TOUGH-BLK 20 Tough 60C White MED-AMB 10 HI TEMP 300-AMB RUBBER-BLK 10, RUBBER-65A BLK High Temp 150°C FR	Natural Standard Paint-Ready Painted Custom	As little as 24 hours	254 µm (0.010") (May vary due to geometry)
Multi-Jet Printing - MJP	3D Printing	Concept modeling Form/fit testing Functional prototypes Jigs/fixtures Eggshell molding	294.64 mm x 210.82 mm x 142.24 mm (11.6" × 8.3" × 5.6")	32 µm	Engineering Class: Visijet ArmorM2G-CL Visijet MCast Visijet ICast Rigid Class: Visijet M2R-CL	Standard	As little as 2 business days	254 µm (0.010")
Cast Urethane	Traditional	Ideal for marketing samples Production-like attributes (surface finish, color, accuracy, and material properties) Focus groups Short-run production Bridge to production Viable production process for low-volume, high-value programs	N/A		ABS-Like PE-Like PP-Like Elastomer (25A, 30A, 40A, 50A, 60A, 70A, 80A, 90A) Clear High-Strength High-Temp ABS-Like Custom (Glass-Filled) MRI Transparent ABS-Like FDA-Approved Rigid FDA-Approved Elastomeric UL94VO Polypropylene UL94VO ABS-Like Silicone	Functional Show Clear (Polished)	First article in as little as 6 business days	635 µm (0.025")
Injection Mold Tooling & Parts	Traditional	Pre-production and production applications Functional, process validation, and reliability testing			All available in the market	All available for production	1-4 weeks	DFM needed
Investment Casting	Traditional	Complex casting patterns - protoype and production Viable production process for lower volume programs Excellent for high-volume, production-level components; very beneficial when there are complex features that are better-suited for casting Functional, process validation, and reliability testing Alternative to machined, injection-wax tooling Iterative design opportunities resulting in better time to market vs. traditional tooled parts Excellent dimensional stability, especially in large part geometries Casings, impellors, rotors	609.6 mm × 609.6 mm × 609.6 mm (24" × 24" × 24")	SLA - 0.002, 0.004, 0.006 Wax - 16 or 42 µm	SLA - Accura CastPro, Accura Fidelity (Antimony-Free) WAX - Visijet M2 Cast, Visijet M2 Industrial Cast Stainless Steel Low-Alloy Steel Aluminum (AS7G60) Carbon Steel Cast Iron Copper Zamak 12	SLA: Level 1 - Support removal, support bumps sanded, holes sealed, leak checked Level 2 - Level 1 + build lines lightly sanded, clearcoat applied Level 3 - Level 2 + surfaces sanded smooth, clearcoat applied WAX: Level 1 – Supports intact, requires customer removal Level 2 – Support removal, some evidence of build lines, some white discoloration may be visible Level 3 – Support removal, build lines smooth, little to no white discoloration Anodize Heat-Treated Powder Coat Paint Nickel Plating Tin Coating Gold Plating Silver Plating Black Oxide Chemical Conversion	as little as 2 business days	254 µm (0.010")
CNC	Traditional	Pre-production and production applications Functional, process validation, and reliability testing Excellent for form, fit, and function tests Best choice for tighter tolerances and/or surface finishes Most material-specific finishes available for machined components	Lathe Diameter: 203. mm (8") Lathe Length: 609.6 mm (24") Mill X: 1016 mm (40") Mill Y: 533.4 mm (21") Mill Z: 457.2 mm (18")	N/A	Aluminum (6000 series, 7000 series, 5000 series) Brass (100 series, 200 series, 300 series) Bronze (900 series) Copper (100 series, 200 series) Stainless Steel (300 series, 400 series, 17-4) Steel (1000 series, 1200 series, A36) Steel Alloys (4000 series, 8000 series) Plastics (ABS, Delrin, Acrylic, G-10/FR4, HDPE, Nylon, Phenolic, Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, PTFE, PVC, Ultem, UHMW, Peek)	Anodize Custom Heat-Treated Natural Standard Paint-Ready Painted Powder Coat Nickel Plating Tin Coating Gold Plating Silver Plating Black Oxide Chemical Conversion	3-15 business days Project Specific	>0.25 mm (>0.0098")
Sheet Metal	Traditional	Pre-production and production applications Functional, process validation, and reliability testing Excellent for thin, simple parts, covers, and brackets with simple bends	1219.2 mm × 1219.2 mm × 5.08 mm (48" × 48" × 0.200")	N/A	Aluminum Brass Bronze Copper Stainless Steel Alloy Steel	Anodize Heat-Treated Powder Coat Paint Nickel Plating Tin Coating Gold Plating Silver Plating Black Oxide Chemical Conversion	1-4 weeks Project Specific	>0.5 mm (>0.0019")
Die Casting	Traditional	Pre-production and production applications Functional, process validation, and reliability testing Excellent for large-volume production, standard-toleranced, metal components	152.4 mm × 152.4 mm × 152.4 mm (6" × 6" × 6")	N/A	Aluminum Zinc	Anodized Paint	3-6 weeks Project Specific	Project Specific
Process	Category