Dimensional Accuracy in 3D Printed Medical Models: A Follow-Up Study on SLA and SLS Technology
Open accessAbstract
Background: With the rise of new 3D printers, assessing accuracy is crucial for obtaining the best results in patient care. Previous studies have shown that the highest accuracy is achieved with SLS printing technology; however, SLA printing technology has made significant improvements in recent years. Methods: In this study, a realistic anatomical model of a mandible and skull, a cutting guide for mandibular osteotomy, and a splint for orthognathic surgery were replicated five times each using two different 3D printing technologies: SLA and SLS. Results: The SLA group had a median trueness RMS value of 0.148 mm and a precision RMS value of 0.117 mm. The SLS group had a median trueness RMS value of 0.144 mm and a precision RMS value of 0.096 mm. There was no statistically significant difference in RMS values between SLS and SLA technologies regarding trueness. Regarding precision, however, the RMS values for SLS technology were significantly lower in the splint and cutting guide applications than those printed with SLA technology. Conclusions: Both 3D printing technologies produce modern models and applications with equally high dimensional accuracy. Considering current cost pressures experienced by hospitals, the lower-cost SLA 3D printer is a reliable choice for point-of-care 3D printing.
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SLA achieves high resolution and is suitable for fabricating intricate structures.
“This technique achieves high resolution and is suitable for fabricating intricate structures [100, 101].”
From Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering (2026) · cites this paper as [101]
The Discussion reports that the SLA printer can print layers as thin as 25 µm, and the Conclusions describe its printed medical models as highly accurate. These passages support the high-resolution aspect, but the paper does not establish that SLA is suitable for fabricating intricate structures; its Introduction notes that SLA requires supports and offers less design freedom than SLS. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Sorted by citations
Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering
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“This technique achieves high resolution and is suitable for fabricating intricate structures [100, 101].”
- Authors
- Msallem, B., Vavrina, J. J., Beyer, M., Halbeisen, F. S., Lauer, G., Dragu, A., & Thieringer, F. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Basel (CH)
- University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE)
- UniversityCenter for Orthopedics, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TUD Dresden University of Technology, DE-01307 Dresden, Germany
- Corresponding author
- Msallem, Bilal
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2024-09-30
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 19
- Pages
- 5848
- ISSN
- 2077-0383 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11477136
- OpenAlex
- W4402987968
- Cited by
- 40
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 25 · 2025: 15
- FWCI
- 4.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Werner Siemens Foundation
- TU Dresden
- Carl Gustav Carus Faculty of Medicine
- SLUB Dresden
- Open Access Publication Funding of the DFG
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Anatomy and Medical Technology
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Automotive Engineering › Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Technologies
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › 3D Printing in Biomedical Research
- Keywords
- dimensional accuracy, 3D printing, stereolithography, selective laser sintering, biomedical model, mandible, skull, mandibular osteotomy, orthognathic surgery, splints, cutting guides, trueness, precision
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