Why SLS Prototyping is great for Low Volume End Use Parts?

Selective Laser Sintering or SLS is a manufacturing process that enables the construction and fabrication of particularly complex parts, which may be incredibly impractical to produce using conventional manufacturing methods. An SLS prototype is typically created from layers of nylon, which are formed into a shape using additive manufacturing. This 3D printing option is very different from other printing methods like stereolithography, which uses photosensitive resin to produce a part. An SLS prototype will not be damaged and become brittle, when exposed to light, like a resin-based stereolithography print does, when left without a proper protective coat or finish.

SLS prototyping is ideal for producing low-volume end use parts, because it doesn’t require additional or prior structural support like SLA models do. This makes this 3D printing prototype service a practical choice when it comes to manufacturing both functional prototypes and end use parts. SLS prototyping “sinters” a material in order to create or form a solid shape or mass. This process compacts loose material like plastic powder by applying heat or pressure in order to bind them together into a solid mass. Sintering doesn’t necessarily melt materials. Rather, it releases enough energy that the atoms of the compacted material will diffuse across their boundaries, which brings them together.

In addition to eliminating the need for support structures in order to produce parts and objects, SLS prototyping also offers the advantage of speed, as sintering only requires  a brief exposure to laser for the material used to be sintered. This significantly cuts down printing time. SLS printing likewise offers strong and durable layer adhesion, which gives prints isotropic mechanical properties, meaning they have almost equal tensile strength, elongation, and hardness in all directions. Finally, SLS prototypes come out with a naturally porous surface, making them ideal for post-printing dyeing.