3D Printing vs. Laser Cutting: Differences and Comparison
Learn more about these two technologies and how they are each used in manufacturing.
Laser cutting and 3D printing are two very popular services we offer at Xometry. Laser cutting uses a high-powered laser beam to cut flat sheets of material, typically metal, into different shapes. With 3D printing, CAD models are sliced into 2D cross-sections and built up one layer at a time until the part is complete. Laser cutting is suited to flat sheet fabrications, whereas 3D printing can produce plastic, or even metal, products of almost any geometry.
Despite being two very different technologies, both are useful in their own rights. In this article, we will cover how 3D printing and laser cutting work, their advantages, disadvantages and the materials they can work in. Let's dig in!
3D Printing Definition and Comparison to Laser Cutting
As mentioned in the intro, 3D printing is a process used to build up parts one layer at a time via the addition of material (plastic or metal). Its first documented iterations can be traced back to the early 1980s in Japan. Hideo Kodama developed a rapid prototyping system using a photosensitive resin polymerized by UV light, what we now know as the SLA 3D printing processs. Over the years, many other 3D printing technologies Xometry offers, such as FDM, SLS, DMLS, PolyJet, and more, have been developed. FDM extrudes material through a nozzle and lays it down onto a build plate and then onto each subsequent layer. SLS and DMLS, on the other hand, use powerful lasers to sinter or fuse particles of powdered material one slice at a time until the part is complete. No matter the method used, all 3D printing processes are considered additive technologies, unlike laser cutting, which cuts parts out from existing sheet stock, making it a subtractive process. For more information on additive manufacturing, see our guide on what is 3D printing.
Xometry offers both plastic and metal 3D printing services. A metal print made through Xometrys DMLS 3D printing service can be seen in the image below:
Advantages and Disadvantages of 3D Printing Compared to Laser Cutting
When it comes to choosing 3D printing or laser cutting for your project, consider these advantages of 3D printing:
- With 3D printing, you can produce more than just flat parts. Additive manufacturing is especially well suited for complex 3-dimensional geometry and can allow for designs that would otherwise not be manufacturable.
- With printing, you have access to a wide range of materials from thermoplastic elastomers to photosensitive resins, to metals like stainless steel, and more.
There are some disadvantages to 3D printing compared to laser cutting that you should bear in mind:
- 3D printing is not well suited to creating large, flat, or broad parts. This is because creating this geometry in an additive nature tends to be susceptible to deformation and warping. If you have a part with completely flat geometry, sheet cutting is probably the better option.
- While we can 3D print metal parts with processes like DMLS, it tends to be much more expensive than laser cutting. Ultimately, it is more costly to produce metal powder for 3D printing than to produce sheet metal, so it's best to reserve metal printing for part designs that fully take advantage of the process and would otherwise be impossible or extremely difficult to produce.
Laser Cutting Definition and Comparison to 3D Printing
Laser cutting refers to the process of using high-powered CO2, direct diode, or fiber lasers to cut out flat shapes from stock sheet materials. Laser cutting heads move along X and Y axes, making it a two-dimensional process. The Z direction, or depth of a part, is dependent on the thickness of the material being cut. The technology was invented in the 1960s. One of the first laser cutting machines was created by the Western Electric Engineering Research Center in 1965.
Laser cutters can typically cut metal sheets with thicknesses from a few millimeters up to as much as 25mm. Parts with a thicker requirement are possible with a decrease in cut quality and an increase in cut time. Laser cutters can cut out shapes in a few seconds, making them suitable for producing multiple quantities or multiple components in a short period of time. Laser cutting is widely used in the manufacturing industry and is often used to cut out flat patterns for sheet-metal bending, a process that Xometry can also help you with. To learn more about laser cutters , see our guide on What is a Laser Cutter.
Below is an image of some aluminum sheet metal parts laser cut by Xometry:
Some Advantages and Disadvantages of Laser Cutting Compared to 3D Printing
Laser cutting has a few advantages over 3D printing. Some of them include:
- Laser cutting is one of the cheapest methods of metal fabrication. The high production capacity and relatively automated process make the cost per kg much lower than metal 3D printing, for example.
- Laser-cut parts require little to no post-processing, and the machines can cut through materials quickly to produce many parts at a time, overall making it a very fast turnaround process for high quantities of parts.
Laser cutting does have its share of disadvantages as well when compared with 3D printing. Some notable ones include:
- Laser cutting can only produce parts with 2-dimensional shapes, making it very well suited for this type of geometry but also quite limited. 3D printing can produce complex 3D components with various types of geometric shapes. Laser-cut parts need additional processes, such as bending and welding, to create three-dimensional pieces.
- Not all materials can be laser cut. Some plastics, like ABS, are not well suited to laser cutting as they will melt and deform. 3D printers, on the other hand, easily print with these types of materials, among a myriad of others.
Some Quick Comparisons of Key Characteristics
Parts cost comparison: Laser cutting is one of the cheapest metal processing technologies. You can see this when you price your flat parts in the Xometry Instant Quoting Engine®. This is due to its relatively low cost of sheet stock and the high production rate. 3D printing can be cheap if it is used to print small plastic components, especially ones that have been optimized to reduce material usage. However, the cost can quickly escalate with increased product size and more advanced materials like stainless steel or titanium.
Speed comparison: Laser cutting is a very fast process. Once setup, it can produce sheet metal blanks in a few seconds. In comparison, 3D printing would take more time between printing and necessary post-processing steps.
Volume comparison: Laser cutting is a high-production-volume technology. It can cut many tons of simple 2-dimensional parts per month. While some 3D printing processes like SLS or MJF can be quite effective at creating high volumes of small parts, generally they are considered best for low-volume production, prototypes, or one-off pieces.
Materials comparison: Laser cutting can be used to cut metal, wood, plastic, and more. Laser cutting shines best when it comes to its versatility with cutting parts from various metal alloys. 3D printing, on the other hand, can also produce parts from a variety of materials ranging from thermoplastics to photopolymer resins to metal and composite materials, and more. That said, your available material options are highly dependent on the process you're using. For instance, DMLS specializes in printing metals like stainless steel and aluminum, while FDM specializes in thermoplastics.
How Xometry Can Help
Whether you are looking for 3D printing or laser cutting to create custom metal or plastic parts, Xometry has the solutions to fit your project's needs! When it comes to comparing costs between these processes or many of the other services we offer, getting a quote is simple and quick, thanks to the Xometry Instant Quoting Engine®. Get started by uploading your CAD files, select the process and materials your interested in, and get quotes instantly!
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