SLS – Selective laser sintering

FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS. COMPLEX GEOMETRIES. SMALL SERIES.

Selective laser sintering (SLS) enables quick, high-quality and cost-efficient manufacture of plastic parts and is an ideal solution for the manufacture of functional prototypes and for small production runs.

MAIN ADVANTAGES:

• fully functional products – high strength and stiffness
• complex geometries
• UV stability
• accurate manufacture with excellent surface resolution
• finishing options – mechanical processing, insertion of threaded inserts, painting
• practically no design limitations

APPLICATIONS:

Selective laser sintering enables the manufacturing of plastic parts directly from 3D CAD models.
SLS prototypes are used for functional testing of a product and for validations of its design, ergonomics and form.
Due to good mechanical properties and economics of manufacture, SLS printed final products in the low-volume segment can be used as substitutes for injection-moulded parts. Since these parts are manufactured directly from 3D models, no investment in tooling is required, and the products can be changed or modified at no additional cost.

TECHNOLOGICAL DATA SHEET:

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY:

In selective laser sintering the object is manufactured layer by layer. The base material used is polyamide powder which the machine fuses in layers of pre-defined thickness (e.g. 100 µm). A high-power laser, the key element of a 3D printer, is pointed at points in space defined by the printer and sinters the powdered material. The process continues until the object is fully formed. The fabricated object is left to cool in the machine, buried in the remaining powder, which acts as support. After the cooling-off period, the object is cleaned (powder removal), and polished or painted if needed. Unlike other 3D technologies, SLS does not require the use of additional supports to support a part while it is being printed. The part is printed directly from the 3D computer model made using any CAD software.