What is Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D Printing?

SLS Printer Build Video: Instagram: OpenFuse: Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is a subset of powder bed fusion-based 3D Printing. It’s a fascinating technology that uses powder as a raw material instead of filament or resin. SLS 3D printers use plastic powders while other powder bed fusion printers use powders composed of metals or ceramics. The most common SLS material is nylon, specifically PA12. The nylon powder is loaded into the printer, where heating elements heat the powder just below its melting point and a roller or blade lays down a smooth layer on the build platform. A laser, which is typically controlled by galvanometers (motorized mirrors) is scanned across the build platform melting and fusing any powder in its path. A new layer of powder is spread across the sintered layer and the process repeats, slowly building the part in the Z direction. Powder from previous layers will support the g