Lucent Additive Capabilities
The Right Process. The Right Material.
A Better Path To Production.
Polymer 3D printing from first prototype to repeat production.
Got a part that needs to be made, whether once or a thousand times? We help you get from idea to production faster, and without wasted cost. Lucent Additive runs three industrial polymer 3D printing processes under one roof, because no single technology is right for every job. Before we recommend anything, we look at what your part actually has to do: its shape, material, strength, finish, quantity, deadline, and how it needs to be validated.
We don’t just pick a printer. We engineer the process around your part.
Three Processes. One Manufacturing Partner.
Capability Overview
Between selective laser sintering (SLS), stereolithography (SLA), and material extrusion (MEX), we cover a lot of ground: rapid prototypes, appearance models, tooling, fixtures, end-use parts, and repeat production runs. So your project never gets squeezed into whatever machine happens to be available.
| Process | Best Suited For | Key Strengths | Typical Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLS / PBF | Durable parts and production quantities | Support-free builds, efficient nesting, strong engineering polymers | Housings, ducts, brackets, clips, assemblies, low-volume production |
| SLA / VPP | Fine detail and application-specific resin performance | High resolution, smooth surfaces, broad resin portfolio | Visual models, tooling, silicone-like parts, rigid and high-temperature components |
| MEX | Fast iteration, fixtures, and larger components | Material flexibility, economical production, scalable build size | Jigs, fixtures, prototypes, enclosures, composite-reinforced parts |
We Start With What Your Part Needs To Do
Engineering First
The best process is the one that works for your part, not the one that’s most convenient for us. We look at loads, heat and chemical exposure, tolerances, finish, quantity, how it fits into your assembly, lead time, and total delivered cost. If a small design change could save you money or make a better part, we’ll tell you before production starts. Here’s what that looks like:
- Matching process and material to how your part really works.
- Spotting features that add cost or risk, and suggesting fixes.
- Planning orientation, nesting, supports, finishing, and inspection together, not as afterthoughts.
- Building a repeatable path from first article to recurring orders.
SLS And PBF
Selective Laser Sintering and Polymer Powder Bed Fusion
When you need tough plastic parts, and a lot of them, SLS is often our go-to. A laser fuses fine polymer powder layer by layer, and the loose powder around each part holds it in place during the build. With no support structures, you get more design freedom, and we can pack many parts, even different designs, into a single build.
What does that mean for you? More freedom in your design, efficient runs of mixed parts, and a practical option for in-between quantities: too many for prototyping, too few to justify injection-mold tooling.
Why Choose SLS
- Production-grade engineering polymers for demanding functional applications.
- No support structures to remove, so fewer marks and less hand finishing.
- Efficient three-dimensional nesting for batches and recurring orders.
- Complex internal passages, consolidated assemblies, and geometry that’s difficult to mold or machine.
- Consistent workflows for cleaning, finishing, inspection, and repeat production.
Applications That Fit Well
SLS is frequently a strong fit for housings, covers, ducts, brackets, clips, guides, manifolds, protective components, replacement parts, custom equipment components, and low-volume production assemblies. It’s especially valuable when tooling cost or design complexity makes injection molding hard to justify.
From Packed Build To Finished Part
It’s not just about the printer. How we prep the build, manage powder, and clean, finish, dye, and inspect each part all shape what shows up at your dock. We treat every step as one connected process, so you get consistent results.
Built For Batches
Built For Repeat Orders
A great first print is a good start. But when you’re ordering the same parts month after month, the details matter more: how parts are oriented and packed, how they move through finishing and inspection, and how each lot is tracked. That’s where our production experience pays off for your schedule and your budget.
SLA And VPP
Stereolithography and Vat Photopolymerization
SLA uses light to cure liquid resin into precise parts, layer by layer. The result is crisp detail, smooth surfaces, and a wide range of resins: rigid, flexible, heat-resistant, and more.
We reach for SLA when detail, appearance, intricate geometry, or special material performance matters most. That could be a client-ready prototype, a mold, or a flexible or silicone-like production part.
Why Choose SLA
- Fine features and high-resolution geometry.
- Smooth surfaces suited for presentation, fit checks, and finished applications.
- A broad portfolio of rigid, tough, flexible, high-temperature, filled, and specialty resins.
- Options for direct-print elastomeric and silicone-like components where the application permits.
- Controlled washing, post-curing, finishing, inspection, and documentation.
Applications That Fit Well
VPP is often the right choice for detailed prototypes, fluid-handling components, molds and tooling, medical and laboratory equipment components, transparent or appearance-sensitive models, high-temperature fixtures, elastomeric parts, and geometries that demand fine surface definition.
The Resin Is Only Half the Story
Picking the right resin matters, but so does everything around it: orientation, supports, cleaning, curing, and finishing. Get those wrong and even the best material underperforms. We plan the whole workflow around your application.
Precision And Control
Beautiful Parts, Built to Spec
A detailed part still has to be made right, every time. We plan supports, curing, inspection, handling, and traceability, so you get more than a good-looking prototype. You get a part made through a controlled, repeatable process.
MEX
Material Extrusion
Material extrusion (often called FFF) builds parts by laying down melted thermoplastic, one bead at a time. It’s one of the most flexible, budget-friendly ways to make prototypes, fixtures, tooling, production aids, enclosures, and even end-use parts.
We run both professional and industrial machines, so we can match the equipment, material, and build size to your project.
Why Choose MEX
- Fast design iteration and short lead times.
- A broad range of engineering thermoplastics and composite-reinforced materials.
- Cost-effective prototypes, tooling, jigs, fixtures, and manufacturing aids.
- Practical options for larger parts and low-volume functional components.
- Design flexibility for lightweighting, internal structure, and rapid customization.
Applications That Fit Well
MEX is a strong option for ergonomic prototypes, assembly fixtures, drill guides, inspection aids, protective covers, manufacturing tools, custom trays, equipment components, large-format models, and functional parts where material selection and build orientation are properly engineered.
Better Than Default Settings
How strong and accurate an extruded part turns out depends on a lot: print direction, temperature, wall thickness, infill, layer bonding, even how the material is stored. We dial in each one instead of just hitting “print.”
Speed And Flexibility
A Practical Tool For the Factory Floor
Need a fixture fast? MEX can cut days or even weeks off the time it takes to make a fixture, replacement part, or production aid. When speed and customization matter more than traditional tooling, it’s hard to beat.
More Than Printing
Complete Manufacturing Support
The printer is just one piece. We handle the engineering and manufacturing work that turns your CAD file into parts you can count on.
Application review
We pick the process and material based on how you’ll actually use the part.
Design for additive manufacturing
We review your geometry and suggest redesigns, part consolidation, and lightweighting that make it easier and cheaper to build.
Build development
We plan orientation, nesting, supports, parameters, and workflow before the build starts.
Post-processing
We clean, cure, finish, and color your parts to suit the process and the application.
Inspection and validation
We inspect dimensions, test mechanical properties, document the process, and verify what your application requires.
Repeat production
We keep recurring orders on schedule with controlled workflows, traceability, and continuous improvement.
Let The Application Choose The Process
Your Additive Partner
Some projects need the production efficiency and design freedom of SLS. Others depend on the detail and material options of VPP. Many benefit from the speed and flexibility of MEX. Some programs use more than one process as they move from concept to validation and production.
That’s the beauty of working with a multi-process partner. We’ll walk you through the options, give you honest pros and cons, and recommend a path built around your part, not around a machine we need to keep busy.
Bring us the CAD file. Bring us the drawing. Or bring us the problem.
We’re in Kansas City, so if you’re nearby, bring the part and let’s talk in person.