Selective laser sintering

An SLS machine being used at the Centro de Pesquisas Renato Archer in Brazil.
The world's first workable sintered nylon bicycle in The Power of Making exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (2011)

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is an additive manufacturing (AM)(3D printing) technique that uses a laser as the power and heat source to sinter powdered material (typically nylon or polyamide), aiming the laser automatically at points in space defined by a 3D model, binding the material together to create a solid structure. It is similar to selective laser melting; the two are instantiations of the same concept but differ in technical details. SLS (as well as the other mentioned AM techniques) is a relatively new technology that so far has mainly been used for rapid prototyping and for low-volume production of component parts. Production roles are expanding as the commercialization of AM technology improves.

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