SLS 3D Printing

Production nylon.
Functional grade.
No supports needed.

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) 3D printing with nylon PA12 powder. Production-grade mechanical properties — drop-testable, living hinges, snap-fits all possible. No support structures needed (powder supports part). For functional prototypes and low-volume production.

SLS Service Quote Compare SLA vs SLS vs MJF

PA12 nylon ±0.2 mm No supports Production-grade

01 · SLS materials

SLS material options.

PA12 is standard — covers 90% of SLS applications. Specialty variants for specific properties.

PA12 natural

White · standard

Standard unfilled PA12 nylon. Ra 6-10 µm surface, 48 MPa tensile. Workhorse functional prototype material.

PA12-GF

30% glass · stiffer

Glass-filled PA12 for improved stiffness and dimensional stability. Higher modulus, less ductility.

PA12-CF

30% carbon · ESD

Carbon-filled PA12 for ESD applications and improved stiffness. Slightly conductive, jet-black appearance.

PA11

Bio-based · tough

Plant-based nylon 11 — tougher than PA12, better impact resistance, slightly higher cost. For impact-critical parts.

PA6 equivalent

Higher modulus

Higher modulus nylon 6 equivalent for structural applications where PA12 isn't stiff enough.

TPU powder

Flexible · 90 Shore A

Thermoplastic polyurethane — flexible SLS material for gaskets, cushions, wearable components.

Dyed parts

Black · colored

SLS parts can be dyed post-print — standard colors include black, grey, and specific brand colors.

Medical PA12

ISO 10993

Biocompatible PA12 for medical device prototypes — wearables, external medical hardware.

02 · SLS applications

Where SLS excels.

Functional prototypes

Drop-testable prototypes with production-grade nylon mechanical properties

Low-volume production

Bridge production 50-500 parts before injection molding tooling built

Complex geometry

Internal channels, lattices, organic shapes impossible to mold or machine

Living hinges

Flexible integrated hinges in single-piece parts

Snap-fit enclosures

Functional snap-fits that survive multiple assembly/disassembly cycles

Jigs and fixtures

Custom jigs for low-volume specialty production

Automotive prototypes

Functional automotive prototype parts for testing

Aerospace interior

Aircraft interior prototype components — FR-grade nylon available

Custom tooling

One-off tooling for specialty manufacturing applications

FAQ

SLS Service questions.

SLS prints in a bed of nylon powder — laser fuses powder where part is, unfused powder supports part from all sides. When print completes, unfused powder brushed away. No supports to remove = complex geometry, nested parts, internal features all possible. This is SLS's biggest advantage over SLA and FDM printing.

SLS parts have characteristic grainy surface Ra 6-10 µm from fused powder particles. Can be smoothed via: bead blasting (uniform matte), vapor smoothing (glossy finish), tumbling (slightly smoother). For cosmetic applications, MJF produces smoother native finish. For functional applications, SLS surface is adequate and untouched.

SLS builds vertically (layer by layer). Orientation affects: feature accuracy (vertical walls most accurate), feature detail (small horizontal features may not print well), surface finish (top/bottom surfaces smoother than vertical walls), material properties (slightly anisotropic — properties weaker perpendicular to build direction). Good DFM accounts for build orientation — we optimize during programming.

SLS accuracy: ±0.2 mm typical, ±0.1 mm on small features. Larger parts have thermal shrinkage during cooling — dimensional accuracy worse on large parts. For tolerance-critical features, post-print machining can bring specific dimensions to CNC tolerance while keeping overall SLS geometry.

SLS cost driver: volume of part (material consumption) and build time. Small parts: $10-30. Medium: $30-100. Large: $100-500. For functional prototypes, SLS cost-effective in quantities 1-500. Above 500 parts, injection molding becomes cheaper per part (tool amortization). For one-off, SLA or MJF may be cheaper depending on part size.

Our SLS (EOS) build envelope: 340 × 340 × 600 mm. Single large parts or many small parts nested for economic batch. Our MJF build (HP) 380 × 284 × 380 mm. Most production prototypes and specialty parts fit these envelopes. Larger parts split and bonded.