SLS workshop
3D printing by laser sintering
We print functional nylon parts on Formlabs Fuse X1 and Fuse 1+ 30W printers. Send your STL or STEP file and you get a quote within the same working day. Parts ship by courier anywhere in Romania, and to other EU countries on request.
- Maximum volume
- 330 × 330 × 565 mm
- Layer thickness
- 0.11 mm
- Materials
- PA12, PA11, GF, CF, TPU
- Supports
- not needed
Why SLS
Advantages of 3D printing by laser sintering
No supports needed
The powder around the part holds it up for the whole print. You can design overhangs, internal channels and mechanisms with moving parts, printed in one piece.
Uses the whole chamber volume
Parts are stacked across the full height of the chamber, one above another. That is why a batch of clips or enclosures costs much less per part than a single part ordered on its own.
Similar strength on every axis
The layers fuse into each other, so the part doesn't have the weak plane between layers you know from FDM. In the vertical direction, elongation at break is somewhat lower than in the plane.
Engineering materials
PA12 and PA11 belong to the same polyamide families used for injection-moulded parts. They resist impact, oils and normal working temperatures.
Equipment
The printers in our workshop
On the Fuse X1 we print large parts and whole batches in a single build. On the Fuse 1+ 30W we print small and medium parts, in every powder we use.
Formlabs Fuse X1
On the Fuse X1 we print large parts, up to 330 × 330 × 565 mm, and production batches in Nylon 12.
330 × 330 × 565 mm
Formlabs Fuse 1+ 30W
On the Fuse 1+ 30W we print small and medium parts in the full material range, including the materials that do not yet run on the X1.
165 × 165 × 300 mm
Drawn to the same scale
Materials
How to choose the material
The choice depends on what the part has to do: be rigid or flexible, handle heat or impact, stay white for dyeing or be black. Each material page lists the properties from the data sheet and the colours available.
- Nylon 12PA12Grey polyamide 12, the standard SLS material, has 50 MPa tensile strength and holds dimensions and fine detail well.
- Nylon 12 WhitePA12 WhitePA12 White has mechanical properties close to grey PA12 and is used for parts that are on show or that need to be dyed in colour.
- Nylon 12 ToughPA12 ToughPA12 Tough is a more ductile PA12 with 25% elongation at break and almost double the Izod impact strength, and it warps less on wide parts.
- Nylon 11PA11Polyamide 11 is made from castor oil and has 40% elongation at break, so it suits parts that bend or take impacts.
- Nylon 12 GFPA12 GFPA12 GF is glass-filled, so it is stiffer and more stable in heat than PA12, but also more brittle.
- Nylon 11 CFPA11 CFBlack PA11 filled with carbon fibre is the stiffest and most heat-resistant material in the range, and its properties depend on how the part is oriented.
- TPU 90ATPU 90ATPU 90A is a thermoplastic elastomer with a hardness of 90 Shore A, used for flexible parts such as gaskets, dampers, handles and grippers.
- PolypropylenePPThe powder is true polypropylene, ductile and light, and parts made from it resist acids, bases and solvents and can be welded to other PP parts.
Process
How we work
- 01
You upload the file
We accept STL, STEP, 3MF and OBJ. Tell us the material, quantity and deadline. If you don't know which material you need, describe what the part does.
- 02
We check it and quote
We check wall thickness, tolerances and how the part sits in the chamber. You get the price, the lead time and, where needed, suggestions for changes.
Quote within the same working day
- 03
We print
The parts are sintered layer by layer at 0.11 mm. After printing, the chamber cools slowly so the parts don't warp.
Usual lead time 3–5 working days
- 04
We clean the parts
We take the parts out of the powder and recover the unused powder. Then we blast them to an even matte surface.
- 05
We ship
We pack the batch and send it by courier. If you are in Piatra Neamț, you can collect the parts from the workshop.
Courier across Romania
Applications
Where SLS parts are used
Functional prototypes
Nylon test parts can be assembled and loaded mechanically in the same way as the final part, so you can use them for functional testing.
Low-volume production
Runs from a few dozen to a few thousand parts can be printed without a mould, and the cost is spread over the whole build.
Jigs, fixtures and production tooling
Templates, workholding fixtures, inspection nests and robot tooling are printed to the exact shape of your part.
Electronics enclosures
We print enclosures, covers, clips and holders for circuit boards, closed with snap fits or threaded inserts.
Automotive and motorsport parts
We print air ducts, brackets, clips and adapters for production vehicles, restorations and motorsport.
Drones and robotics
We print frames, mounts, grippers and dampers for drones and robots, where mass and impact resistance matter.
Delivery
Delivery across Romania
The workshop is in Piatra Neamț. Files reach us online, and parts leave by courier, usually the next working day after dispatch. We also ship to other EU countries on request.
3D printing in every Romanian cityWhat file formats do you accept?
We accept STL, STEP, 3MF and OBJ. If you have the model in CAD, send STEP, because it keeps the exact geometry and units, and holes and cylinders stay round instead of faceted. STL and OBJ are triangle meshes without units. We treat them as millimetres, so tell us if your model uses a different unit.
My file is larger than 8 MB. How do I send it?
The quote form accepts files up to 8 MB. For larger files, put a download link in the form (Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer or similar). A STEP file is usually much smaller than a fine STL of the same part, and 3MF is a compressed format.
Which material should I choose if I'm not sure?
For most functional parts we start from PA12, which is stiff and dimensionally stable and reproduces fine detail well. PA11 is more ductile and handles impact better. PA12 GF and PA11 CF are stiffer and withstand higher temperatures under load. TPU 90A is flexible, like firm rubber. Polypropylene is used for chemical resistance, hinges and parts that need to be welded. If you tell us what the part does, we will recommend the material.
What does the surface of an SLS part look like?
The surface is matte and slightly grainy, similar to fine stone. In a Formlabs study, automatically blasted PA12 parts had a surface roughness Ra of about 8 to 16 µm depending on the face, and with additional polishing it came down to 4–9 µm. That is good enough for functional parts, but it is rougher than the surface of an injection-moulded or SLA-printed part.
How long will it take to get my parts?
We confirm the lead time in the quote, because it depends on the quantity, the material, how full the build is and what else is in progress in the workshop. An SLS build includes printing, slow cooling of the chamber, depowdering and blasting, and these steps cannot be shortened beyond a certain point without affecting the parts.
Why does cooling take so long?
When printing finishes, the parts sit in hot powder and have to cool gradually. If they are taken out too early, they can warp. Formlabs gives a cooling time of up to half the print time. That is why, even if we start a build in the evening, the parts are not necessarily ready the next morning.
Send us your file and we'll tell you what the part costs
Quote within the same working day · contact@printsls.ro