SLS 3D Printing
Selective Laser Sintering or SLS 3d printing is a laser technology that fuses powder materials of plastic, glass, ceramic, and a range of different material powders by heating, rather than melting, to print a hardened three-dimensional object.
Unlike other printing technologies, SLS 3D printing service doesn't require any supports to hold the printed objects or protect from falling during printing. This also saves material costs as the parts stay in the bed of powder. It is most useful for engineers in product development because of cost-effective and faster functional prototyping and production. Besides cost, SLS rapid prototyping process also saves time required for sanding after the object is printed.
What SLS is Used For
SLS rapid prototyping is used for printing three-dimensional objects in different materials. It can print any complex designs, functional parts, living hinges, and interlocking parts. It is popularly used for creating prototypes and for final production. Industries that need high-quality parts in a small quantity such as airplane parts, hearing aids, prosthetics, and dental retainers usually prefer this process.
How SLS Works
SLS 3D Printing process starts by converting a CAD file into .STL format for easy interpretation and rendering by SLS machines.
- A thin layer of powder is spread out on the top of a platform inside the build chamber of SLS machine
- The laser is then directed to the platform tracing a cross-section of the 3D CAD model to heat the powder exactly at or below the melting point. This fuses the tiny particles together to form a solid object.
- The platform in the build chamber is lowered by one layer and the printing material is dispersed by a recoater on it. Then, the next cross-section is traced by the laser to fuse the tiny particles.
- When all the layers are completed, the final product is left for cooling inside the printer
When to Choose SLS
You can take SLS 3D Printing Service when you need the followings:
- Durable, functional parts with desired mechanical properties
- Faster and low-costing prototyping and final products
- Low-volume but high-quality products
- Functional parts of large dimensions and complex design
- Freedom of design
- Mass customization and low-volume final products
