SLS Rapid Prototyping

SLS process, also known as selective laser sintering, is a process for making metal products developed by the University of Texas at Austin C.R. Deckard in 1989. The process has the advantages of simple manufacturing process and short production cycle. This process is very useful in rapid prototyping, which is then called SLS rapid prototyping.
Basic principles of SLS rapid prototyping.
The selective laser sintering process is a layer of powder material which is tiled on the upper surface of the formed part and heated to a temperature below the sintering point of the powder. The control system controls the laser beam according to the layer .The cross-sectional profile is scanned on the powder, the temperature of the powder is raised to the melting point, sintered, and bonded to the molded part below. When a section of sintering is completed, the table down the thickness of a layer, laying roll and covered with a layer of uniform dense powder, a new section of the sintering, until the completion of the entire model. During the molding process, the sintered powder plays a supporting role in the cavity and cantilever parts of the model, and it is not necessary to generate a support process as a SLA process. SLS rapid prototyping uses a laser that is a carbon dioxide laser, using raw materials such as wax, polycarbonate, nylon, slender nylon, synthetic nylon, metal, and some developing materials. When the solid construction is completed and the part of the prototype part of the full cooling, the powder quickly rose to the initial position, remove it, placed on the post-processing workstations, brush with a brush to the surface powder, exposing the workpiece, the remaining residual powder can be removed with compressed air.