Re: Textured SLA parts

From: Bruce E. LeMaster (lemaster@artcorp.com)
Date: Fri Mar 19 1999 - 15:32:36 EET


"C.H Lai" wrote:

> Are they putting texture on the physical part? What I expected to see is having the texture created by the RP machine.

Yes, the texture is "built up" on the surface of the SL part. AME applies (sprays) a photopolymer to the surface of the
SL part and then etches away material to leave a texture. If you want very precise parts you will need to take into
account the fact that they are adding material, although very little, to the surface.

Given the very small detail, I believe it will be some time before you see the RP machines actually creating these
textures. One of the high-res lasers could probably come close on a select few textures but the problem is how do you get
the texture into the .stl format without make the file size so large that it becomes unmanageable.

Bruce E. LeMaster

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