Question 1

What is Carbon DLS?

Accepted Answer

Carbon Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) is a 3D printing process that projects light through an oxygen-permeable window into a pool of liquid resin, growing a part continuously rather than layer by layer. Parts then go through a thermal cure that sets their final mechanical properties.

Question 2

How is Carbon DLS different from standard SLA resin?

Accepted Answer

Standard SLA and DLP cure resin layer by layer and are optimized for surface finish and fine detail on prototypes. Carbon DLS grows parts continuously and heat-cures them afterward, which produces isotropic, engineering-grade properties closer to injection-molded plastic, making DLS parts suitable for end use.

Question 3

What materials does Carbon DLS use?

Accepted Answer

Carbon DLS runs a family of engineering resins, including EPU (elastomeric polyurethane) for flexible, rubber-like parts, RPU (rigid polyurethane) for tough impact-resistant parts, FPU (flexible polyurethane) for durable flexible parts, and MPU (medical-grade polyurethane) for biocompatible applications.

Question 4

Are Carbon DLS parts suitable for end use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The thermal cure step gives DLS parts isotropic mechanical properties, unlike most additive processes where strength varies by print direction. That is why DLS is used for functional, end-use components rather than only visual prototypes.

Question 5

Carbon DLS vs injection molding: which should I use?

Accepted Answer

Carbon DLS needs no tooling, so it works well from prototype through lower production volumes with injection-molding-like material properties. Injection molding still wins on per-part cost once volume is high enough to amortize a mold, typically in the thousands of identical parts.

Design rule	Typical spec	Why
Typical tolerance	+/- 0.1 mm or +/- 0.1%	Confirmed after the thermal cure step, which can shift dimensions slightly.
Min wall thickness	1.0 mm	Thinner walls are prone to distortion during the heat cure.
Min feature size	0.5 mm	Fine detail holds up, but sharp internal corners still concentrate stress.
Mechanical properties	isotropic	The thermal cure fuses the part into a uniform matrix, unlike layer-based additive processes.
Build size	bounded by the printer and cure oven	Part size is capped by both the resin pool platform and the oven used for the post-cure.

Process	Best for	Typical volume	Choose it over Carbon DLS when
Resin, SLA/DLP	Finest detail, cosmetic prototypes	Prototype	You want the finest cosmetic detail and standard resins are acceptable; end-use durability is not required. Standard resins are more brittle than DLS engineering resins.
SLS	Nylon end-use parts, no supports	Low-volume production	You want tough nylon end-use parts and do not need the elastomeric or urethane-like properties DLS resins offer.
Injection Molding	High-volume identical parts	1,000+	You are past the volume where a tool pays for itself and want the lowest per-part cost on identical parts.

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