is SLA printer really worth it?

FDM printer users can have ton of issues when trying to get their printer to print properly.
Almost every printer kickstarter or launch video is a stock happy background music and showing the probably most successful prints the team or company has managed to print or the ones which show less issues of their printer or FDM technology in general. And the person talking to the camera says how they want to make or think they have made the best printer for the best price and innovative features which nobody cares about or isn't innovative.
What you get though is not 'press print and get what you want' experience. Many people have mechanical, other hardware of software issues and either rage quit or become tinkerers.
Many, many calibrations needed to avoid issues like backlash, delamination, blobbing, overextrusion, underextrusion, bed leveling issues, bed adhesion issues, hotend clogging issues, support issues.
The point of this thread is not to rant about FDM printer expectations and results. The way the printers are advertised are legal and we are being gullible expecting it to be true like with almost every other commercial .

Where I'm getting with this is, many FDM printer owners seem to suggest to switch to SLA printers if we want more reliability and quality.
I have a feeling some making those suggestions haven't actually tried or own an SLA printer and are just making the assumptions they probably made when buying FDM printers.

Are SLA printers really plug and play or require less maintanence or are more reliable?
They don't have/need hotends, extruders, heated beds, belts and pulleys to have issues there.
But is there nothing in that technology that a non-tinkerer can use them without problem?

Just a guess, are the lasers calibrated properly? Is it easy to calibrate the beam if it isn't? Are the laser scanners decent quality and reliable machines?
Is the liquid they use cured evenly/uniformly? Any known problems with layer curing?
Is the print attached to the bed with no issues unlike the ABS/other print on an FDM printer heatbed?
Any better with DLP?
Are all the printed parts destroyed by sunlight? Or is this just a claim from someone who isn't aware of the variety of resins available.
I've also heard support is pain to get to work and remove from the print.
Anything else I'm not even aware of?

I won't make the same mistake twice. Not gonna spend money on an SLA printer in the future if it's going to be as much of a pain to use regardless how good the print quality is compared to FDM.

Yes, I'm aware of the print size being a consideration. I'm planning to print small stuff.

reality no. there needs to be controlled gas air mixture and proper laser focus as well as advancements in timing and algorithm software to control deposits, if we are talking about laser sintering, also dlp has issues with quality control of layers, and resolution. also cost and consistency of materials used.


all designs have issues. FFF is currently the most robust method, although at any time that can probably change. my guess is that someday DLP will work out the materials issues, and the resolution issues, but the tech required to do so is beyond that of hobbies people in my opinion.


FFF tech has improved dramatic leaps in performance per dollar and in reliability just in 2 years time. I would suspect us to see print chambers in lower atmospheric pressure with motors built into the plastic in the future. this would reduce the cost, theoretically increase precision, and reduce motor weight as the rods/rails would have the motor built into it. three things to overcome are atmospheric conditions, and inertia mass, and filament/feed stock consistency.

All in my humble option, others chime in now. help predict the future of 3d printers!! LOL! you have a 1 in 10 chance of being correct!!

Issues are everywhere in the open source 3D printing. I'm currently working on a DLP printer, and all the same problems are there, there is no hot end or heated bed, but projector calibration, resin viscosity and turbulence replace them, curling and delamination are the same or worst, the only difference for which I'm working on it it's because of speed and higher resolution.
I don't think SLA will replace FFM nor that is better or simpler, each one have its pros and con's and each one is specific for their niche in the additive manufacturing.