MSLA: MSLA is a resin 3D printing process in which UV light shines through an LCD screen that masks each layer's shape, curing the whole layer at once.
In masked stereolithography an array of UV LEDs sits under an LCD panel. The panel shows each layer as a black and white image and lets light through only where the resin should cure. It is the technology inside most low-cost desktop resin printers, which are often sold simply as LCD or resin printers. The screen’s pixel size sets the detail, and the LCD panels wear and are replaced as consumables.
What it means for the price
As with DLP, layer time does not depend on how many parts share the platform, so time is set by the tallest part and the layer height. Resin, supports, washing, post-curing and the labour around them make up most of the rest. A shop running many low-cost MSLA printers usually has a low hourly machine rate and a cost structure dominated by labour.
Example: with 2.5 s of exposure and about 6 s of lift and retract per layer, a part 40 mm tall at 0.05 mm layers is 800 layers, roughly 1.9 hours. The figures are an example.
Common confusions
MSLA is not laser SLA, even though the names overlap. “LCD” in a resin price list usually means these printers. Quotometry prices LCD resin printing today alongside SLA and DLP; read what drives resin printing cost.
Go deeper: Resin printing cost: how to price SLA, DLP and MSLA prints