3d printing

What You Should Know About LSP Rapid Prototyping

It’s not a deep secret that SLP was started as SLS since 1999.   To the best of our knowledge, the overview of this main fast prototyping method went very smoothly. We can carefully suppose that a few years later, few laser sintering prototyping machines are producing plastic parts of a constantly doubling size and for an ever-growing range of applications. You need also to keep in mind that SLS can be used in every step of the product development cycle, from the manufacturing of one-shot prototypes to practical test parts and small production series. In point of fact, laser sintering is suitable for larger amounts of components, even for group of 50 to 100 pieces and more. It is important to note that SLS is also a method by which parts are built layer by layer. In addition, the basic material consists of pulverize with particle sizes in the order of magnitude of 50 µm. If we are making a deeper examination of this dilemma, succeeding powder layers are spread on top of each other. Afterwards, after deposition, a PC controlled CO2 laser ray scans the surface and selectively binds together the powder particles of the corresponding cross sector of the product.

It is very principal to take into account that for the period of laser exposure, the powder temperature rises above the glass transition point after which adjacent particles flow together and this procedure is called sintering. As far as my individual practice can be taken into account, SLS is the supreme technology for such types as fully practical prototypes with mechanical properties comparable to those of injection molded parts or series of small components as a cost-effective alternative to injection molding or great and complicated functional parts up to 700×380x580 mm in one part or even for the presenting of complex, unique, personalized designs created as once-only products or in small batches. If you think to use laser sintering, you wouldn’t regret as this method is rapid, inexpensive, it produces durable and functional, as well as large and complex parts. Moreover, it is possible to make direct fabrication of low amount projects and there is a design freedom as well as a wide range of final degrees.

As a matter of fact, this method may deal with another types of materials. Along with the most well-liked is polyamide. No doubt you have to pay serious attention to the fact that being a solid material, the powder has the nice-looking feature of being self-supporting for the generated product sections - this makes supports redundant. There is also a need to mention that the polyamide material allows the fabrication of fully functional prototypes with high mechanical and thermal resistance. The other material is PA-GF. The thing is that the use of PA powder filled with glass particles (has a much higher thermal resistance and is usually applied in functional tests with aggressive thermal loads. And, finally, alumide is also broadly used. As far as this issue is concerned, alumide is a blend of aluminium powders and Polyamide powder, which permit non-porous, metallic-looking components to be machined effortlessly and is opposing to aggressive temperatures.