14 DAY TRIAL // Misnomers are something we run into every so often on the technology industry, like everywhere else. The case of SLM and SLS is one approved by the ASTM F42 standards committee. German-based ReaLizer made sure to specify that it was SLM its newest product uses though, not SLS.
SLS, selective laser sintering, is a process of forming solid mass by heating and/or applying pressure to a material without it reaching the point of liquefaction. SLM, by comparison, does go all the way and melt the material.
Up to now, most additive manufacturing machines that deal with metals, and sometimes other substances, used SLS methods.
Germany-based ReaLizer wanted to allow for the fabrication of more complicated and lighter designs, however, so it chose SLM instead.
The ReaLizer SLM125 3D printer
You probably wouldn't think it just from a look, but the printer carries a price of around €250,000, or $310,500 give or take, according to exchange rates.
The SLM125 printer is said to be able to produce lighter and more complex products while also costing less (the process, not the printer).
The build volume is of 125 x 125 x 200 mm / 4.92 x 4.92 x 7.87 inches, with the print speed being of five to 20 ccm/hour. CoCr., 31 6L and Titanium alloys are just a few of the materials compatible with the new machine.
Also, the laser power is of 400 Watts. Between that and the integrated powder and sieving unit, the metals are readily enough melted from powder to liquid form.
The SLM125 also benefits from an integrated powder recovery system. Andre Mader, the head of marketing for ReaLizer, claims the printer is the first to possess such a thing.
Applications and availability
The SLM125 3D Printer from ReaLizer can be used by dentists and maxillofacial surgeons to make not just scaffolds or surgery plans, but the teeth themselves. 130-160 teeth can be created over the course of an 8-hour print job.
Shipments should begin in May of 2015, for the prices we mentioned before. They may seem high, but only because the forces behind the 3D printing industry have been trying to grab attention with cheaper SLS and SLA implementations. In reality, most SLS/SLM printers cost at least as much. Also, they aren't as easy on the eyes in comparison. A fair few of them are integrated into industrial assembly lines and factories.
