Best practices for efficient stereolithography 3D printing in paleoanthropology
Description
Innovations in 3D printing have made it possible to expand paleoanthropology research. Producing a 3D print that is high quality and appropriate for research depends not only on the quality of the 3D printer, but also the protocol used by the technician. While stereolithography (SLA; “resin”) 3D printing allows for higher resolution than fused deposition modeling (FDM; “filament”) 3D printing, SLA printing has a higher learning curve making it more difficult for new users to benefit from the technology’s higher resolution. Here, we aim to identify factors in the preparation and post-processing of SLA 3D prints that maximize quality and efficiency. All prints were made using the large-volume SLA 3D printer, the FormLabs Form 3L, using FormLabs Grey V4 Resin. Previously scanned fossil skeletal elements were prepared using FormLabs PreForm to test the effects of changing element orientation, support size, and number of supports added. We found that print quality and post-processing efficiency were improved by using a lower density of supports with smaller touchpoints on the element. Our results also demonstrated that the morphology and orientation of the element during printing mattered. The practices summarized here yielded the most accurate replicas while minimizing materials used and maximizing efficiency, and we suspect will make SLA 3D printing more accessible to new users in the future.
Citation Information
Evoy, Spencer; Punsalan, Jazmin; and VanSickle, Caroline, "Best practices for efficient stereolithography 3D printing in paleoanthropology" (2026). Office of Research DMU Research Symposium. 96.
https://digitalcommons.dmu.edu/researchsymposium/2025rs/2025abstracts/96
Best practices for efficient stereolithography 3D printing in paleoanthropology
Innovations in 3D printing have made it possible to expand paleoanthropology research. Producing a 3D print that is high quality and appropriate for research depends not only on the quality of the 3D printer, but also the protocol used by the technician. While stereolithography (SLA; “resin”) 3D printing allows for higher resolution than fused deposition modeling (FDM; “filament”) 3D printing, SLA printing has a higher learning curve making it more difficult for new users to benefit from the technology’s higher resolution. Here, we aim to identify factors in the preparation and post-processing of SLA 3D prints that maximize quality and efficiency. All prints were made using the large-volume SLA 3D printer, the FormLabs Form 3L, using FormLabs Grey V4 Resin. Previously scanned fossil skeletal elements were prepared using FormLabs PreForm to test the effects of changing element orientation, support size, and number of supports added. We found that print quality and post-processing efficiency were improved by using a lower density of supports with smaller touchpoints on the element. Our results also demonstrated that the morphology and orientation of the element during printing mattered. The practices summarized here yielded the most accurate replicas while minimizing materials used and maximizing efficiency, and we suspect will make SLA 3D printing more accessible to new users in the future.
