Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing process whereby the prototype is created directly from 3D CAD data. The model is built layer at a time by scanning and sintering the surface of a plastic powder with a computer-controlled CO2 heat laser. A fresh film of powder is deposited on top of each layer, and subsequently sintered to the layer below. Parts built in SLS can have a rougher surface and more heavily layered z-axis than other 3D print formats.
The temperature in the build chamber during this process is approximately 180oC and a post-build cool down period is required which can take as long as the original build. The natural cooling phase is necessary to prevent any parts within the build from distorting. This can elongate lead times compared to SLA and Figure 4 but if you have a specific target date please contact us as these can often be accommodated.