市场上的齿科3D打印机价格梯度从几千块钱到六七万的都有，为什么？

The price of a dental 3D printer in the market ranges from a hundred to tens of thousand dollars. Why?

首先看看光源种类，市面上光固化3D打印机大概分为SLA激光光源/DLP投影光源/LCD 光源。

Firstly, let’s look at the types of light sources. All the resin printers in the market are divided into three types: SLA laser light source, DLP projection light source, and LCD light source.
成本:

For cost:

DLP 光源平均成本比SLA和LCD的都要高，因为DLP光源被美国德州仪器长期垄断导致价格高昂，而SLA和LCD 的光源成本相对来说低很多，光源供应商可选性也很多，价格实惠。

The average DLP light source cost is higher than SLA and LCD. The DLP light source has been monopolized by Texas Instruments of the United States for a long time and then resulting in a high price. The cost of SLA and LCD light sources is much lower. There are many suppliers to choose from, so the price is also more affordable.

打印速度:

The printing speed:

首先SLA使用的光源是激光束，而DLP和LCD光源形成的光都可以投影整个面。
打印的时候SLA是由点到线，由线到面的顺序对液体光敏树脂进行扫描曝光固化。而DLP和LCD 光源可以一次性曝光固化一整个切面，从而大大提升了打印速度。
所以LCD和DLP打印机比SLA打印机平均打印速度快。

Firstly, the SLA uses a laser beam, and the DLP and LCD use a light that can project the entire surface. When printing, the SLA uses the laser to scan and cure the model, in order from a point to a line and then from a line to a surface. In contrast, the DLP and LCD can cure an entire section at once, which greatly improves the printing speed. So, in terms of printing speed, the LCD and DLP printers are faster than SLA printers.

维护维修:

Maintenance and repair:

光源的类型决定了维修维护的难易程度。SLA激光光源和DLP光源的维修维护难度极大，SLA和DLP绝大多数厂商都不能自己维修光源，只能寄回光源生产商进行维修，导致维修周期很长也很麻烦。而LCD打印机，大多数都是模块化设计，维修维护很方便，即便是光源坏了，维修维护成本很低。
The type of light source determines the difficulty of maintenance and repair. The maintenance of SLA light source and DLP light source is extremely difficult. Most manufactures of SLA and DLP cannot repair the light source by themselves, and they have to send it back to the light source manufacturers to repair, which lead the maintenance period long and trouble. When about the LCD light source, most are modular design. They are easy to repair. Even the light source is broken, the cost of repair and maintenance is also very low.

精度:

Accuracy:

光固化3D打印机经过多年的发展，按照2021年市面上的光固化3D打印机的精度来说，DLP /LCD/SLA三者能达到的极限精度都基本一致，没有太大差异。
After years of developing resin 3D printers, according to the accuracy of the light-curing printer on the market in 2021, the ultimate accuracy of DLP, SLA, and LCD are basically similar, and there is no big difference.

兼容性:

Compatibility

SLA光源的打印机，因其液体树脂需要在激光扫描的瞬间凝固，对树脂材料的要求比较高，市面上能兼容的树脂材料不多。而DLP和LCD打印机，光源是面曝光，通过调节光强和曝光时间就可以更容易适配市面上的树脂耗材，用户具有更灵活的选择性。LCD打印机以其极高的性价比，让大部分潜在用户以更低的门槛去购买和使用3D打印机，因此全球来说LCD打印机的用户量远远多于SLA和DLP打印机用户，催生了更多厂家去研发生产和销售LCD打印机的树脂材料，因此用户具有更灵活和广泛的选择性。

For SLA light source printers, the requirements for resin material are relatively high because the resin needs to be solidified, for instance, when the laser scanning. So, there is no large quantity of compatible resin materials for SLA on the market. In the DLP and LCD light source printer, the technology is surface exposure. By adjusting the light intensity and the exposure time, it’s easier to adapt to the resin on the market, so the users have more options to choose from. The LCD printer has extremely high-cost performance and allows most of the possible users to purchase and use the 3D printer. Therefore, the number of LCD printer users in the world is far more than SLA and DLP printers, which has given birth to more and more manufactures to develop, produce and sell resin materials for LCD printers, and in this way, leads the users to have more flexibility and wide-ranging options.

最后:

At end:

一台3D打印机最终的打印精度是否能满足用户的需求，取决于多方面的因素，包括硬件配置参数和品牌，树脂材料精度质量，切片软件算法，用户的操作经验等等诸多因素。

Whether the final printing accuracy of a printer can meet the needs of users depends on many factors, including hardware configuration parameters and brand, resin material accuracy and quality, slicing software algorithm, the user operating experience, and many other factors.

选择产品最好选择大厂大品牌的产品，售后和品质比较有保障。

When choosing products, it’s better to choose the product from major manufacturers and brands, which has the after-sales service and quality relatively guaranteed.