A.I. Tony discusses whether SLS can produce internal pathways and, if so, what difficulties can they cause.
Very briefly, what is SLS?
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing technology for 3D printing parts with complex geometries. Parts benefit from high strength and stiffness which is why they’re often used for simulating components that will ultimately be injection moulded.
Can SLS parts produce internal pathways?
Yes, but it’s often judged on a part-to-part basis by our data verification team.
What’s the problem with internal pathways?
Our biggest struggle is access. Unfortunately, as the powder in these holes has gone through a heat cycle it’s much less willing to move than it was before. This means that we need to use a variety of weird and wonderful tools to push, pull, brush and blow this excess powder from the pathway.
If you don’t think you could get a pipe cleaner through the pathway, it’s likely we can’t clean it.
Diameters under 2mm can be a problem, as can sharp turns and corners. Also, SLS isn’t transparent so we can’t see if we’ve missed any powder.
Top tip
We recommend using another technology, such as SLA, DLP or Micro SLA printing, if you need small internal channels, pathways or tubes.
Talk to the experts
If in doubt, talk to one of our experts by contacting the Business Relations Team on 01763 249760 or email office@prototypeprojects.com.
Credit where it’s due
A.I. Tony is the presenter of this video, but the content was written by Adam Sharkey, our Senior RP 3D Technician – Team Leader.