Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing technology that uses a laser to melt and fuse metallic powders together. The process is similar to other Additive Manufacturing processes like selective laser sintering (SLS), but with one key difference: the SLM process uses a higher power density laser that allows for full melting of the metals being used. This results in a much stronger bond between the particles, and also allows for the creation of complex geometries that would be impossible to create using SLS or other similar technologies.
SLM was first developed in the mid-1990s by a team of German researchers, and has since been commercialized by a number of different companies. Today, SLM is used extensively in the aerospace, medical, and automotive industries, among others. Due to its ability to create strong metal parts with complex shapes, SLM has become increasingly popular in recent years as more companies look to capitalize on its unique capabilities.
There are two main types of SLM systems: those that use powder bed fusion (PBF), and those that use direct energy deposition (DED). In PBF systems, a layer of metallic powder is first deposited onto a build platform. The powder is then selectively melted by the laser beam according to the desired geometry of the final part. After each layer is fused together, another layer of powder is deposited on top and the process repeats until the part is complete. In DED systems, molten metal is directly deposited onto the build platform from an external source such as a wire or rod feedstock. The advantage of DED systems over PBF systems is that they can be used to build parts much faster; however, they are typically less accurate than PBF systems due to the nature of their deposit method.
Parts created using SLM are typically very strong and have excellent mechanical properties due to their dense microstructures. Additionally, because SLM allows for such intricate designs, it opens up new possibilities for optimizing existing designs or creating entirely new ones that would not be possible with traditional manufacturing methods. As more industries begin to adopt additive manufacturing technologies like SLM, it’s likely that we will see even more amazing applications for this technology in the years to come