DLP (Digital Light Processing)

A DLP printer's light engine contains a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD), an array of microscopic mirrors that flip on or off tens of thousands of times per second. Each mirror is one pixel. The projector throws a UV image onto the resin, curing the layer in milliseconds.

Like MSLA, DLP cures the entire layer simultaneously, so print speed is independent of layer complexity. Unlike MSLA, the light source is a UV projector rather than a backlight + LCD, which gives sharper pixel edges and longer light-engine life.

DLP is the workhorse of professional resin printing — dental, jewelry, audiology, hearing aids. Carbon's industrial CLIP process, Asiga, EnvisionTEC and Anycubic's pro-tier machines all use DLP. The trade-off versus MSLA is cost: DLP light engines are more expensive than LCDs, but they last longer and produce slightly cleaner edges.

DLP pixels are typically not square — the projection area is fixed, so pixel size scales with build volume. Larger DLP printers have larger pixels (lower XY resolution) than smaller ones.