3D Printing? SLA 3D printers offer higher resolution and can produce significantly smoother and more de - tailed prints (right) than FDM 3D printers (left). 3D Printing Resolution In 3D printing and additive manufacturing, there are three dimensions to consider: the two planar 2D dimensions (X and Y) and the Z dimension that makes it 3D printing. Since the planar and Z dimensions are generally controlled via very different mechanisms, their resolutions are going to be different and need to be treated separately. As a result, there is a lot of confusion about what the term " 3D printing resolution " means and what level of print quality to expect. Compare Different 3D Printing Processes What makes a 3D printer high-resolution? There's not a one-number answer. Since 3D printers produce parts in three dimensions, you will have to consider at least two numbers: the minimum feature size of the XY plane and the Z-axis resoTech Briefs, July 2021 Cov DLP 3D printers have a fixed matrix of pixels relative to the build area, while laser-based SLA and LFS 3D printers can focus the laser beam on any XY coordinate. This means that laser-based machines, given high-quality optics, can more accurately reproduce the surface of a part even if the laser spot size is larger than the DLP pixel size. www.techbriefs.com ToC 13 lution (layer thickness or layer height). The Z-axis resolution is easily determined and therefore widely though it is less related to print quality Laser SLA Minimum laser spot size DLP Minimum pixel size reported even and surface finish. The more important XY resolution (minimum feature size) is measured via microscopic imaging and is therefore not always found in spec sheets. Low Force Stereolithography (LFS) Minimum laser spot size SLA uses a UV laser to draw rounded lines DLP uses a projector screen to project layers of squared voxels LFS uses a laser and constant line scanning in small incrementshttp://www.techbriefs.com http://www.abpi.net/ntbpdfclicks/l.php?202107TBNAV