Process
SLS
Also known as: sls · sinterizado selectivo por laser · selective laser sintering · sinterizado de polvo
Short definition
SLS is the technology that builds parts by laser-fusing successive layers of powder, usually polyamide, with no need for supports.
Full definition
A roller spreads a thin layer of powder and a laser sinters the cross-section's outline; unfused powder stays around the part and supports it, so no supports are needed and geometries impossible in FDM or resin become feasible. Parts come out with a slightly grainy matte finish and fairly isotropic mechanical properties, far more even than in FDM. It is an industrial technology: in Mexico you normally access it through a printing service rather than by buying the machine.
Related terms
- SLASLA is the resin printing technology that traces each layer with a focused ultraviolet laser point by point, instead of projecting the whole layer at once.
- FDM / FFFFDM, also called FFF, is the 3D printing technology that builds a part by depositing molten filament layer by layer through a moving nozzle.
- SupportsSupports are temporary structures the slicer adds under overhangs so material is not printed into thin air, and which are removed once the print is done.
Process
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