What is selective laser sintering?

A more accurate name for this technique is selective laser sintering (SLS). It is one of the 3D printing techniques widely used in industry. Selective laser sintering is only available on expensive professional 3D printers and is known for producing high-quality products. It can be used to achieve results similar to those obtained by die casting.


Selective laser sintering SLS


Selective laser sintering, like many other industrial additive manufacturing techniques, uses powders and powder mixtures as materials. This technique allows you to create fully metallic objects in a matter of hours. And the ability to manufacture complex shapes explains its popularity among industrial organizations around the world.


How it works

What is the essence of the technique? Let's take a look at how selective laser sintering works. The main requirement, as with any other 3D printing technology, is the availability of a finished 3D model that meets certain requirements (more details here). It is this model that will be used to reproduce the product. The technology itself is quite simple. A special compartment of the 3D printer is filled with consumables, after which printing begins. Interestingly, immediately before reproduction, the powder is heated to almost its melting point.


Селективное лазерное спекание


Using a laser unit and a scanning mirror, the laser beam is directed at the necessary areas of the powder, sintering them together layer by layer. After the first layer is sintered, a leveling mechanism adds a thin layer of powder on top of it, and the process is repeated until the object is completely built. In other words, the object is reproduced from the bottom up, and since the chamber is filled with powder, no support structures are required. The image above clearly demonstrates the SLS 3D printer device for a better understanding of the principle of the method.


Materials used

Selective laser sintering does not boast a wide variety of colored consumables, such as FDM or SLA. However, this does not mean that the choice is limited. The fact is that SLS printing is geared toward industrial purposes, which is why the materials are produced accordingly. Today, there are many types of powder mixtures available, including nylon, ceramics, polystyrene, etc.


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Metal powders are available in a range of materials, including steel, aluminum, titanium, cobalt, and various alloy mixtures. Many manufacturers emphasize the specific properties of composites. For example, impact-resistant, wear-resistant, heat-resistant, flexible, engineering, and heat-resistant powders are available for SLS printing. Some of them are geared toward more specific tasks, such as the manufacture of parts for aerospace production.


Advantages and features

When it comes to features, selective laser sintering should be distinguished from another similar 3D printing technology—selective laser melting (SLM). The difference between them is that SLS provides only partial melting of the powder, which is required only to combine it into a single element. SLM, on the other hand, melts the particles completely, sintering the powder into a monolithic product. As for the advantages, the following benefits can be highlighted:

  • Large build area in 3D printers. Industrial equipment for SLS 3D printing is usually equipped with a large build area, which allows not only large parts to be created, but also small-batch production.
  • High quality 3D printing. This technique allows you to almost completely avoid visible layering on the model, and the absence of supports also has a beneficial effect on the quality of the products.
  • No need to build supports. Selective laser sintering allows you to create products with complex geometry without the need to build support structures. This not only expands printing capabilities, but also has a positive effect on the surface quality of the product.
  • High speed and productivity. Because the material does not melt completely, SLS 3D printers work much faster than their powder-based counterparts. Higher printing speed means higher production productivity.
  • The ability to manufacture finished products. Thanks to the properties of consumables, this 3D printing technology can be used to manufacture end products.


Areas of application

In terms of areas of application, selective laser sintering is popular exclusively in industry due to the high cost of consumables and equipment, as well as the large size of the latter. Therefore, the areas of application correspond to:

  • Functional testing;
  • Prototyping;
  • Small-batch production;
  • Manufacturing of finished functional components;
  • Manufacturing of products with complex geometry;
  • Manufacturing of aerospace components;
  • Development and manufacture of automotive parts, etc.

In addition, there are known cases of this technique being used in design and creativity. However, this is not surprising, since 3D printing technology has not only expanded the boundaries of possibilities, but also opened up new opportunities for various areas of our lives.


Селективное лазерное спекание методика


This concludes our article. For any questions related to purchasing equipment or providing 3D printing services, please contact us by phone or email listed in the “Contacts” section.