Quickparts Manufacturing Process Comparison

Thank you for your interest in our detailed comparison guide. Use the interactive chart below or Download a printable PDF Version to find out which process is right for your project.

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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

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