Stereolithograpy offers a variety of real world applications in diverse fields from manufacturing to biomedicine. Before taking a design into full scale production, stereolithography allows businesses to evaluate their design for feasibility, manufacturability, ergonomics, aesthetics without slow and costly prototyping. Models can also be tested using Optical Stress Analysis (OSA) to study the effects of external loadings, torsion, tension, pressure and placed in wind tunnels to measure aerodynamics. Manufacturing firms also use stereolithography models for casting, tooling and production line design. Businesses also use these models as a marketing tool since it enables them to present a physical representation of the product before production is complete. Stereolithography prototyping lowers the cost of production while increasing product durability, benefiting both industry and consumers.

Stereolithography is also becoming prevalent in the field of bio-medical engineering. Surgeons are able to make models of patients and implants to practice delicate routines in advance. These models are also being used to educate families, patients, and students.

These are parts made by SLA from MRI data. Click on the picture above to see an enlarged image of the jawbone above, which was made for a patient with jaw cancer.