Selective Laser Sintering, SLS

Selective laser sintering is an additive layer manufacturing process where a laser is used to fuse powdered materials to produce durable and functional prototypes and models.

The process of selective laser sintering was developed in the USA and uses the heat from a carbon dioxide laser to 'sinter', melt, powdered materials in to layers.  The machine builds up the model/prototype layer by layer and 'selectively' sinters the material according to data from a 3D CAD file.  SLS models and rapid prototypes are similar to thier counterparts made by the process of Stereolithography in terms of detail but offer improved strength.

The key advantages of this rapid prototyping technology is the durability of materials and the fact that selective laser sintering produces a product that needs little post production curing and finishing.