Thank you for your response and your desire to discuss this reasonably.
I said ‘FDM is less expensive, and lower resolution. Beyond that, your FDM description is so biased it is silly.’
You may have misread my response. I was agreeing that FDM is less expensive, and when I say lower resolution, I mean less resolution. So we agree.
My point was the rest of your description, and your misleading photos, were biased and ridiculous.
You indicate that your customers have had bad results with FDM. That is not the global experience. I have hundreds of prints, and perfect reviews.
So I do not know who was doing the prints for your clients, but your assertion that they prints were not good, and your misleading photos, all feels like you are exaggerating the case.
You also state that customers are willing to “spend a little more” for smoother and cleaner SLA prints. That also has not been my experience.
I am currently printing a part for a customer- PLA $2.45. Average price (I just checked) for the same part in my are for SLA is over $25.00. My customers, who love my results, would NOT pay 10 times as much for the part to get “smoother and cleaner.” Many would not want to wait the (on average, I just checked) the additional 5 days for the part.
Seriously, the pictures on your blog post of FDM prints do not reflect what FDM prints look like. Period.
Also, your description :
Unless you are a hobbiest and find simple satisfaction from a creation, steer well clear of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). This stuff is cheap for a reason; it is essentially an automated glue-gun squirting liquid plastic in layers. The end result typically is a model with monstrous layer lines, sharp edges and a sense of disappointment.
On the plus side, it is CHEAP, and you can find many people with small desktop printers that will knock something up for you relatively quickly. Also you’ll have the ability to have plenty of wild colours… go ahead and knock yourself out!
This reeks of silly sarcasm, and is not accurate, nor is it an intelligently worded discussion of the differences. It is also misleading.
I have done hundreds of prints, and none had MONSTROUS layer lines, sharp edges, or based on my perfect reviews, a sense of disappointment.
I have no belief that you intended, by your wording and your photos, to not mislead the reader. I cannot imagine doing a posting where I find failed SLA prints to show as an example of SLA printing results. That would just not be a true representation of the results of SLA. SLA is higher resolution, but has its faults. It is costly and slow, for example.
An honest blog post would say:
FDM is great for a lot of needs. It is lower resolution, so if you do not need really fine details, FDM is cheaper and often has faster delivery times. Color and material options are more plentiful with FDM.
SLA is great for a lot of needs. It is higher resolution, so if you need really fine details, or are doing a “Show Piece” SLA is better, although it is more expensive and may have longer delivery times. Color options may be less plentiful with FDM.
An honest blog post would, without sarcasm, legitimately discuss the features of both.
Which state, legitimately
“The printing method that works best for you will depend primarily on your end goal. If you want to produce a more affordable prototype that can handle the stress of multiple different tests, FDM printing would be best. However, if you want to make smaller, more refined objects that don’t require any finishing touches, SLA would work better. Though SLS hasn’t yet become a personal printing method, it would be the go-to choice for quickly creating a limited run of prototypes in different materials. Other factors to consider include budget, timeframe, and safety. The uses for 3D printers are as varied as the people who use them. With their recent popularity spike and improved technology, 3D printers are changing the face of product manufacturing.”
You can stand by your posting all you want, that does not make it true.
This is all I have to say on this subject, as I do not wish to do a whole flame war thing on 3dhubs. I hope others will join the discussion.
