Selective Laser Sintering-ODM

Produce Highly Durable and Complex Geometries in Production-Grade Nylon

SLS methods are ideal for durable, functional parts for low to mid-volume production, rapid prototyping and functional testing. A range of material options are available, including industrial-grade, tough, impact and fatigue-resistant nylon 11 materials or strong, food-grade, biocompatible, or flame-retardant capable nylon 12 thermoplastics, and filled nylons for advanced properties in terms of stiffness, temperature resistance, strength and surface finish.

Process Comparison Chart

	Stereolithography (SLA)	Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)	Direct Metal Printing (DMP)	Figure 4	ColorJet Printing (CJP)	Cast Urethane
Applications	Excellent for fit and form testing Best surface quality and highest resolution, ideal for trade show quality parts Easily finished and painted for demonstration/presentation models	Ideal for durable, functional parts with a variety of applications Capable of producing snap fits and living hinges Heat and chemically resistant	Perfect for complex metal parts that need to be manufactured quickly and accurately Fully dense parts with excellent surface finish	The Figure 4 Standalone delivers ultra-high speed and accuracy, with a wide range of material choices and is ideal for low volume production and quick-turn prototyping	Excellent for demonstration models with full color printing. Perfect for architecture, consumer product design, healthcare, educational models, crystallography, medical teaching models and more	Ideal for marketing samples Production-like attributes (surface finish, color, accuracy & material properties)


Instant Quoting Maximum Dimensions	Normal Res: 29" x 25" x 21" High Res: 10" x 10" x 10"	30" x 20" x 20"	10.6" x 10.6" x 15.7"	4.9” x 2.8” x 7.7”	10" x 15" x 8"	-


Layer Thickness	Normal Res: .004" High Res: .002"	Normal Res: 0.004"	Normal Res: 0.0024" High Res: 0.0012"	-	0.004"	-
Layer Thickness	Normal Res: .004" High Res: .002"	Normal Res: 0.004"	Normal Res: 0.0024" High Res: 0.0012"	-	0.004"	-
Material Options	Technician's Choice, Accura 25 (ABS/PP-Like), Accura Xtreme White, Accura Xtreme Grey (High-Impact ABS-Like), Somos Next (High-Impact ABS-Like), Accura SL 7820 (ABS-Like), Accura 60 (PC-Like), Accura ClearVue (PC-Like), Accura Bluestone (High-Temp ABS-Like), Accura 48 (High-Temp PC-Like)	Nylon (Duraform PA), Glass-Filled Nylon (Duraform GF), Durable Nylon (Duraform EX Black & White)	Titanium (Ti6Al4V Grade 5), Stainless Steel (316L)	-	VisiJet PXL	ABS-Like, PE-Like, PP-Like, Elastomer (25A, 30A, 40A, 50A, 60A, 70A, 80A, 90A), Clear, High-strength, High-temp ABS-Like, Custom (Glass Filled, MRI Transparent, ABS-Like, FDA Approved Rigid, FDA Approved Elastomeric, UL94VO Polypropylene, UL94VO ABS-Like
Material Options			Titanium (Ti6Al4V Grade 5), Stainless Steel (316L)	-	VisiJet PXL
Finish Options	Standard, Pattern, Primed, Paint, Quick Clear, Gloss, Water Clear	Standard Uncoated, Standard Coated, Primed, Painted, Dyed	Anodized, EDM, Grinding, Heat Treated, Milling, Polished, Turning, Welding	-	Standard (With ColorBond Infiltration)	Functional, Show, Clear (Polished)
Lead Time Options	As little as 2 days	As little as 3 days	As little as 8 business days	-	Standard (5 -7 Days)	First article in as little as 6 days
Recommended Minimum Feature Size	Normal Res: 0.025" - 0.035" High Res: 0.010" - 0.015"	0.030"	0.010"	-	.060"	0.025"

Functional, production-grade nylon parts with 3D Systems Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology

Overview

SLS uses a high-powered C02 laser to fuse small particles of powdered material to create 3 dimensional parts. The laser selectively fuses powdered material by scanning X&Y cross-sections on the surface of a powder bed. The model is built one layer at a time from supplied 3D CAD data.

SLS produces parts from impact-resistant engineering plastic, great for low-to mid-volume end-use parts, enclosures, snap-fit parts, automotive components and thin-walled ducting.

SLS produces complex geometries, for low-volume parts that would typically require assembly using traditional manufacturing methods.

Tolerances for standard resolution:

X/Y planes: +/-.005” for the first inch, plus +/-.005” for every inch thereafter
Z plane: +/-.010” for the first inch, plus +/-.005” for every inch thereafter

Applications

General

Functional Proof of Concept Models
Design Evaluation Models (Form & Fit)
Engineering Design Verification
Product Performance and Testing
Wind-Tunnel Test Models

Rapid Manufacturing

Aerospace Hardware
Medical and Healthcare
Electronics; Packaging, Connectors
Homeland Security
Military Hardware

Tooling and Patterns

Jigs and Fixtures
Investment Casting Patterns

Production

Short run end use components
Complex plastic parts
Part consolidation exercises

Materials

Mechanical Properties

Tensile Strength

Tensile Modulus

Tensile Elongation at Break

Flexural Modulus

Izod Impact-
Notched

Heat Deflection Temp
@66psi

Hardness

Melting Point

Test Method

ASTM D638

ASTM D790

ASTM D256

ASTM D648

ASTM D2240

DSC

Units

psi

(ft-lb)/in

ºF

Shore D

ºF

Nylon
(Duraform PA)

6,237

230,000

14%

201,000

0.6

356

Glass Filled Nylon (Duraform GF)

3,771

590,000

1.4%

450,000

0.8

354

Durable Nylon
(Duraform EX)

5,366

220,000

47%

190,000

1.2

370

Fiber-filled Nylon
(Duraform HST)

7,050
-
7350
(XY)

4500
-
4900
(Z)

421,000 - 434,000

4.5%
(XY)

2.7%
(Z)

381,000 - 410,000

0.7

354

Finishes

Standard (Uncoated) Finish – Remove loose powder and bead blast

Standard (Coated) Finish – Remove loose powder, bead blast, apply sealant

Paint Ready Finish – Standard (Uncoated) Finish plus remove build/layer lines on visual (cosmetic) surfaces with 80 through 150 grit sandpaper, apply primer and sand with 220 grit sandpaper, apply additional primer and sand with 320 grit sandpaper, apply final primer coat and sand with 600 grit sandpaper (build/layer lines will be visible on non-cosmetic surfaces

Painted Finish – Paint ready finish with the customer-specified paint color applied

Dyed Finish – Standard uncoated finish with dye applied

Custom Finish – Specified by the customer

On Demand SLS Materials

View Materials

Documents

SLS Design Guide

SLS Fact Sheet
Resources

How 3D Systems On Demand Fits Into Your Supply Chain

Ferdie Bruijnen, Vice President of Supply Chain Operations and On Demand Manufacturing at 3D Systems shares his insights on supply chain assurance, and where additive manufacturing and On Demand manufacturing fit into the equation.

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Rapid Prototyping

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Appearance Models

Low-Volume Production

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Selective Laser Sintering

Production-grade nylon printing for batch production, functional testing, rapid prototyping, high-heat and chemically resistant applications

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Produce Highly Durable and Complex Geometries in Production-Grade Nylon

About this Process

On Demand SLS Materials

ProX SLS 6100

sPro 60 HD-HS

sPro 140

sPro 230

On Demand Services

Rapid Prototyping

Functional Prototyping

Appearance Models

Low-Volume Production

Need Help? We're Here.