FFF | SLA | DLP | MJ | SLS | |
Overall cost | Low | Medium | Low | Very high | High |
Desktop printers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Accuracy | Low | High | High | High | High |
Resolution | Low | High | Very high | Very high | Medium |
Surface finish | Staircase effect | Smooth | Smooth | Smooth | Grainy |
Mechanical properties of printed parts | Satisfactory (anisotropy) | Satisfactory (brittle, affected by moisture and sunlight) | Satisfactory (brittle, affected by moisture and sunlight) | Satisfactory (brittle, affected by moisture and sunlight) | Very good |
Complex designs | No | Limited | Limited | Yes | Yes |
Multimaterial printing | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
Rigid biocompatible materials— examples | ABS-M30i, PC-ISO, PLA, PMMA, ULTEMTM 1010, ULTEMTM 9085 | Accura ClearVue, BioMed Clear, Dental SG Resin, E-Shell 3000, NextDent SG, WaterShed XC 11122 | Dental SG Resin, E-Shell 3000 | MED610, VeroDent, VisiJet M2R-CL, VisiJet M3 Crystal | CAPA 6501, Duraform PA, EOS PA2200, EOS PEKK, PA 12, PCL |
Flexible biocompatible materials—examples | TPU (Tecoflex) | Elastic 50A Resin, E-Guide Soft | E-Guide Soft | MED625FLX, VisiJet M2E-BK70 | TPU |
ABS, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene; DLP, Digital Light Processing; 3DP, Three-Dimensional Printing; FFF, Fused Filament Fabrication; MJ, Material Jetting; PA, Poly Amide (Nylon); PC, PolyCarbonate; PCL, PolyCaproLactone; PEKK, PolyEtherKetoneKetone; PLA, PolyLactic Acid; PMMA, PolyMethyl MethAcrylate; SLA, StereoLithogrAphy; SLS, Selective Laser Sintering; TPU, ThermoPlastic Urethane.