VPP (Indirect Metal)

Vat Photopolymerization (SLA/DLP for investment casting / slurry)

ISO/ASTM Vat Photopolymerization family. Liquid resin is cured by UV light. For industrial metal AM, VPP is primarily an indirect process (producing patterns for investment casting).

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Operating Principle & Process Flow

Operating Principle: In highly specialized applications (Lithography-based Metal Manufacturing), metal powders are dispersed in photopolymer resins (slurries), cured, debound, and sintered.

Process Flow: Slurry printing (resin + metal powder) -> Cleaning -> Thermal debinding -> Sintering.

Technical Specifications

Energy Source: UV light (laser or projector).
Feedstock / Material Feed: Vat containing liquid metal slurry.
Typical Part Size: Very small.
Build Rate: Low.
Accuracy: Extremely high.
Surface Quality: Excellent.

Applications & Materials

Typical Materials: Special ceramics, conditionally stainless steels.

Typical Applications: Jewellery cast patterns, dental cast patterns (indirect).

Industries: Dental, jewellery, precision mechanics.

Advantages

Flawless surface finish, unmatched feature definition.

Disadvantages / Limitations

Disadvantages: Sintering bulky metal-slurry parts is extremely difficult (crack formation); practically nonexistent in serial metal production.

Limitations: Part wall thickness severely constrained by debinding limitations.

Economics

Extremely inefficient and prone to sintering defects for direct metal printing. Highly economical as an indirect process for lost-wax casting.

ISO/ASTM Classification

Expert note: For direct metal 3D printing, the VPP family is practically negligible in industrial production.

Machine Mediation

Find & Broker the Right Machine

Welding3D.de helps you evaluate whether VPP (Indirect Metal) makes technical and economic sense for your application – brokering the right machine solution directly via our platform.

Metal Additive Manufacturing

Orientation for Custom Component Requirements

Explore the capabilities of modern metal additive manufacturing, compatible alloys, and post-processing workflows for your specific component project.