Selective Laser Sintering
SLS is widely thought of as the process most suitable for Rapid Manufacturing applications due to the wide range of performance engineering materials which components can be constructed from.
There are 3 clearly defined divisions within the SLS process set and these are categorised as
- Polymer systems
- Ceramic Systems
- Metal Systems
All SLS technologies are powder bed systems which means that the components are built in a self supporting powder layer. Using a CO2 laser the slice data is traced into the layer of powder fuseing the powder particles together.
November 30th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Allways keen on utilising the latest technology on offer. The world of Formula 1 racing is taking the idea’s of Rapid Manufacturing to it’s heart.
If proof were needed then look no further than that of the Renault Formula 1 team’s purchase of 2 Vanguard HS SLS systems at there Advanced Digital Manufacturing centre in Enstone UK.
In the highly competitive world of F1 any advantage is worth the outlay.
The two SLS machines are now producing parts that are being fitted directly to the racing cars. As is the advantage with ALM the parts are designed with no compromise for the traditional manufacturing techniques and so are a pure design for function and performance. And performance is King in F1.
The systems have also shown a reduction in time to finished article, showing another advantage with ALM technology