{"id":1,"date":"2014-01-06T15:10:26","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T15:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.protoshape.ch\/?p=1"},"modified":"2018-09-11T11:49:30","modified_gmt":"2018-09-11T09:49:30","slug":"3d-metal-printing-explained-slm-sls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.protoshape.ch\/en\/3d-metal-printing-explained-slm-sls\/","title":{"rendered":"3D metal printing explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

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3D metal printing explained<\/h1>\n

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3D metal printing, also known as selective laser sintering (SLS) or selective laser melting (SLM), is an additive manufacturing technique that allows the rapid manufacturing of prototypes directly from 3D CAD files. Broadly speaking, 3d metal printing frees the designer from previous manufacturing constraints, opening a new world of possibilities for your wished designs.<\/p>\n

The 3d metal printing of designs is a combination of powder material and laser power in a layer by layer basis:<\/p>\n

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  1. The metallic powder is applied as a thin layer (30 to 80microns thickness)<\/li>\n
  2. The Laser melts the powder at the required locations<\/li>\n
  3. The process is repeated until the height of the part is reached<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0Technical details<\/h2>\n
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    • Maximum part size: 248 x 248 x 350 mm<\/li>\n
    • File format: STL, via CAD software transformation from all current CAD files<\/li>\n
    • Materials:\n
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      • Aluminum (AlSi10Mg)<\/li>\n
      • Stainless steel<\/li>\n
      • Tool steel<\/li>\n
      • Titanium<\/li>\n
      • Cobalt-Chrome<\/li>\n
      • Ni-Superalloys, for example:\n
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        • Hastelloy X<\/li>\n
        • Inconel 718<\/li>\n
        • Haynes 230<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Material properties:\n
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          • Density: >99.8%<\/li>\n
          • Tolerances: 0.1 mm<\/li>\n
          • Surface roughness: ~ 20um<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Applications of 3D Printing<\/h2>\n
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            • Aerospace: light-weight structural parts<\/li>\n
            • Turbine development: hot gas parts with integrated near wall cooling<\/li>\n
            • Research: prototype parts with complex designs<\/li>\n
            • Tool manufacturing: inserts for the die casting process<\/li>\n
            • Medical technology: patient specific custom tailored implant<\/li>\n
            • Automotive industry: functional prototypes for pre-series testing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n

              Some examples of what our “SLM Solutions” machine is capable of:<\/strong>
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