instructables

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer

by Vulcaman

In this Instruction, I want to show you how to build a DIY Selektive-Laser-Sintering (SLS) 3D-Printer. I am 17 years old and
made everything by myself. Since 6 month my big dream was to build up a working SLS-3D-Printer, but there is a
problem. The most SLS-3D-Printers are very expensive and only aviable for the industry. So I build my own printer. Often
I was disappointed. Especially with the material, but after a month of experiments I found the right powder for a test
print.

Here are some specs:

1W 445nm Laserdiode
8x8x8cm Buildvolume
36x54x60cm Outsidedimensions
CORE-XY Movement
Speed: 60mm/s tested, 300mm/s possible
costs around 400€

### You can nd a more advanced second version of the DIY-SLS-3D-Printer here ###

If you like my Instructable, please vote for me in the 3D Printing Contest :-)

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 1
Step 1: Video / Test Prints

This is my rst test print with this printer.

The gear is printed in black powder coating material at 60mm/s.

It has a size of 3x3x0,5cm and took one hour to print.

Video of the gear:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/i-g8XtuYiYM

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 2
Step 2: CAD-File

probably because you're not using a WebGL-enabled

browser, or you're using the Instructables Mobile app)

https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/49322/assets/148028/emb
ed
Here you can download the complete CAD- le. .f3d is for
Fusion360, .step for other CAD-programms :

(If you can't see the interactive 3D model above, its

View in 3D Download

https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FJ9/8LC2/IP91LE2X/FJ98LC2IP91LE2X.f3d

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 3
 Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FIO/4UZX/IP91LE8B/FIO4UZXIP91LE8B.step

Step 3: Mechanical-Parts

20x20mm Aluminium-Extrusions:

4x 600mm
12x 500mm
8x 320mm
1x 300mm

smooth rods:

2x 8x500mm
2x 8x285mm
2x 8x450mm
4x 8x255mm

threaded rods:

2x M5x140mm

bearings:

16x F624zz bearing Aliexpress

2x 608zz bearing Aliexpress

belts:

3x (2m GT2 Belt + 2x Pulley) Aliexpress

Aluminium plates:

I found my plates at the local scrap yard, so I don't have a link for you.

Screws:

8x M4x40mm
2x M3x30mm
24x M3x8mm
8x M3x18mm
4x M2x6mm (Endstops)
200x M5x10mm DIN912

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 4
 100x M5x10mm ISO7380

Step 4: Electric-Parts

Here are all required electronic parts for the SLS-3D-Printer:

1x Arduino Mega 2560 Aliexpress

1x Ramps 1.4 Aliexpress
4x DRV8825 or 4x A4988 Aliexpress
6x Nema 17 Steppermotor Aliexpress
1x 445nm 1W TO-18 Laserdiode Ebay
1x Laserhousing for TO-18 Laserdiodes Aliexpress
3x Microswitch Aliexpress
1x Webcam Aliexpress
1x Raspberry Pi Pollin
1x ATX-Power Supply (from an old PC)
2x 120mm fan Aliexpress

Step 5: Printed-Parts

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 5
Here is the part list of all required printed parts :

2x powder box.stl
2x Z-Table.stl
2x Z-Motor.stl
2x Z-Axis Top.stl
2x Piston.stl
2x Pusher-Motor.stl
2x Pusher-Idler.stl
2x Pusher.stl
4x 8mm-Rod-holder.stl
2x Motor.stl
1x Idler-Endstop.stl
1x Idler.stl
2x Y-Carriage.stl
1x X-Carriage.stl
1x X-Carriage Top.stl
2x Idler Clamp.stl
2x Belt tensioner.stl

Last change: 10.06.2016

I printed all parts with:

25% In ll
0.2mm layer
black PLA

Download

https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FIQ/K4IS/IP91RQ36/FIQK4ISIP91RQ36.zip

Step 6: Build the First Stage

What you need:

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 6
 2x 500mm Extrusions
2x 320mm Extrusions
4x M5-Corner Bracket
14x M5x10mm DIN912 Screws
14x M5 Extrusion Nut
8x M5x10mm ISO7380

At rst you attach the two Z-Motor printed parts to your base frame. Then you add four M5-Corner brackets to the frame

1. Corner Bracket with M5 Hex-Nut

2. Z-Motor

Step 7: Build the Pistons

What you need:

4x small wood plates

3x big wood plates
12x wood dowels

I build my pistons out of screen printing plywood, because it is very easy to work with wood. Also it is very cheap :-). An
other plus point is that the surface is very smoot, which is better for the piston.

I use some wooden dowels to connect the woodplates to eachother.

I recommend to download my Fusion360 that you can cut the plates very accurate.

Also please look at my additional PDF:

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 7
 Download

https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FO6/VWXL/IRXSZ5OT/FO6VWXLIRXSZ5OT.pdf

Step 8: Connect the Wooden Box to the First Stage

What you need:

4x M5x25mm DIN912 Screws

4x M5 hex nut
4x M5 washer

Now you can screw the wooden box to the rst stage. Use some washers for the M5x25mm screws.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 8
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 9
Step 9: Build the Second Stage

What you need:

2x powder box printed part

2x Z-Axis Top printed part
4x Cornerbracket M5 Nut
22x M5x10mm DIN912 Screws
22x Extrusion Nut
2x 500mm Extrusion
2x320mm Extrusion

The main frame of the extrusion is very similar to the frame of the rst stage. The only di erence between them are the
printed parts. For the second stage you need the powder box and the Z-Axis top parts. Connect the parts like in the
pictures

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 10
Step 10: Pusher

What you need:

1x 300mm Aluminium Extrusion 2020

2x Pusher printed part
4x LM8UU
6x M5x10mm DIN912 screws
6x M5 extrusion nut

At rst you have to push the 300m Extrusion inside the printed part. Then you connect the extrusion with six M5
extrusion nuts. Before pressing the LM8UU inside the printed part, please predrill the printed part with a 15mm drill.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 11
Step 11: Connect the Second Stage to the Wooden Box/ Install the Pusher Motors

What you need:

2x Nema 17 Motor
2x Pusher Motor printed part
2x Pusher Idler printed part
8x M3x8mm screws
12x M5x10mm DIN912 screw
2x 608zz Bearing

At rst you have to connect the second stage to the wooden box like the rts stage. You simply use four M5x25mm
screws. Then you can attach the pusher motor printed part to the second stage. You screw the printed part to the
extrusion by using three M5x10mm DIN912 screws. For the Nema 17 motr you use four m3x8mm screws. Once you
screwed the motor to the printed part, you attach a 20th GT2 Pulley to the motorshaft. At the other end of the second
stage, you attach the pusher Idlers printed parts. Then you push an 608zz Bearing inside the printed parts. This is
necessary for the 8mm smooth rod, which will be insert later.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 12
 1

1. 608zz Bearing

Step 12: Install Z-Axis

What you need:

2x Nema 17 Motor
2x Z-table printed part
8x M3x8mm screws
8x LM8UU
2x 8x255mm smoothrod

At rst you need to press the LM8UU Bearings inside the Z-Table printed part. Then you simply insert the Z-Table with
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 13
the LM8UU into the 8mm smooth rods.

Step 13: Pusher

What you need:

2x 8x500mm smoothrods
4x 8mm Rod-holder printed part
8x M5x10mm DIN912 Screws
8x M5 Extrusion Nuts

Now you nished the pusher and the pistion unit for the SLS-3D-Printer. So now you can attach them together. You
simply need to push the smooth rods trough the pusher bearings. Then you can screw the smooth rods to the second
stage.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 14
Step 14: Y-Carriage

What you need:

2x Y-Carriage
4x M4x40mm DIN912 Screws
8x F624zz Bearing
8x M4 self locking hex nut
4x M4 washer
4x LM8UU

This is the rst step for the X/Y linear Laser movement. The X/Y Movement of this printer based on CORE-XY. If you don't
know what COREXY is, please visit the this website COREXY. The Belt is appropriate on di erent levels, so the belts don't
rub to eachother. The big advantage of COREXY is, that the weight of the moving mass is lower than conventionell
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 15
cartesian movement systems. This means that you can drive extremly fast, because you don't need so much force to
accelerate the mass. I've tested 400mm/s on my printer :-)

To build up the Y-Carriage, please take a look at the pictures. Don't forget to screw the F624zz bearing on di erent levels.
Later this will be very important.

Step 15: Idler

What you need:

2x Idler Clamp printed part

1x Idler printed part
1x Idler with endstop printed part
8x F624zz Bearing
4x M4x40mm DIN912 Screw
8x M4 self locking hex nut
4x M4 washer

Like in the step before. Don't forget to screw the F624zz bearings on di erent stages that the belt don't rub to eachother.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 16
Step 16: X/Y Motor

What you need:

2x Nema 17 Motor
1x X-Motor printed part
1x Y-Motor printed part
8x M3x8mm Screws
2x GT2 20th pulley

You need to repeat this step two times. The only di erence is, that you use for one the X-Motor-printed part und the
other one Y-Motor printed part. Also you have to turn the GT2 pulley of one motor in 180°.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 17
 1

1. M3x8mm Screw

Step 17: Attach the Third Stage

What you need:

2x 8x450mm smoothrods
2x 8x285mm smoothrods
4x LM8UU
12x M5x10mm DIN912 Screws
12x M5 Extrusion Nuts

Now you can combine the Y-Carriage, Idler and Motor with the third stage. You push the the smoothrods inside the
de ned holes. Now you need to screw the X/Y Axis to the third stage. Use the twelve M5x10mm screws to connect the
Motr and Idler printed part to the extrusions. Don't forget to insert four LM8UU for the X-Carriage.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 18
Step 18: Attach the X-Carriage / Last Stage

What you need:

1x X-Carriage printed part

4x belt tensioner printed part
4x small metal pin
8x M3 hex nut
2x 2m GT2 Belt
8x M3x18mm screws
2x 500m Extrusion
2x320mm Extrusion

At rst you have to install the last stage of extrusions. You simply have to install it like the other extrusions before. After
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 19
that you can attach the X-carriage to the LM8UU Bearings. You simply have to push them inside the printed part. Then
you x the X-Carriage with four zip-ties. For the Belt you have to put an small metal pin inside the Belt-tensioner. Then
you can tighten the belts with the M3x18mm screws. Make sure that your belts have the same lenght!

1. small metal pin

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 20
Step 19: Build the Piston

What you need:

8x M5x25mm screws
8x M5 Hex Nut
4x Aluminiumplates (12x14cm)
8x M3 hex nut
2x packing material (From your mechanical parts or etc.)

This step is one of the most important ones, because the pistons are the heart of the printer. I made a lot of experiments,
how to make a good piston. So this is my solution :-)

I am using an aluminium || packing material || aluminium sandwich as a piston. You have to cut the packing material so
that it will press itself to the wooden box. The result is that no powder will fall through the piston. You can level the
pistons by pressing the aluminium plates together.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 21
Step 20: Install Small Extrusions to the Pusher

To garanteer that all the powder will push inside the next piston, I attached some small 10x10mm Extrusions. Make sure,
that the pusher can move freely. The space between pusher and extrusions should be <1mm.

1. <1mm

Step 21: Install the Laser

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 22
What you need:

1x Lasermodule
4x M3x10mm DIN912 screws

Now can can screw the lasermodule to the X-Carriage. You do that by using four M3x10mm screws. Once you installed
the laser, make sure that you are not static charged and touch the lasermodule. The laserdiode is a very sensitive
element and can break easily.

Step 22: Outsite Plates

Now you can attach the Aluminium plates for the housing by using some M4x6mm screws. I'am using 1.5mm Aluminium
plates for the housing. It is highly recommend to download the Fusion le from the the Top, so you can cut your plates in
the exactly dimensions.

Step 23: Powersupply

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 23
You can use nearly every ATX-PSU which has a 12v Output. The printer needs all in all less than 100w of power, so you
don't need a strong powersupply, but If you want to change later to an heated piston I recommend not to buy a ATX-
PSU. Search on Ebay for server powersupplies. Mostly they are cheaper and have a lot of amps on the 12V Line.

Step 24: Arduino / Ramps 1.4

The Ramps 1.4 is one of the most used electronic boards in the reprap community. It is very cheap and it can be used for
many projects. I marked on the picture, where you have to plug your wires that it will work.

9
8
1 4
2
3 5
6
7
1. X-Motor
2. Y-Motor
3. Z-Motors
4. pusher Motors
5. X- Endstop
6. Y-Endstop
7. Z-Endstop
8. Fan for the laserdiode
9. power for the laserdriver

Step 25: Laserdriver

If you build your own Laserdriver, I recommend a LM317 constant current circuit. It is cheap and can provide max. 1A for
the Laserdiode. You can calculate the current for the laserdiode with this formula: [ I = 1,25 / R1 ]. I'am using an 1,5 Ohm
power resistor, so I provide max 0,83 mA for the laserdiode.
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 24
I attached a circuit drawing with all the requierd electronic parts (see pictures)

Step 26: Repetierhost

In my opinion Repetier-Host from Repetier the best all in one Software for FDM-3D-Printer. With some modi cations you
can also use it for my DIY-SLS-3D-Printer.

You don't have to modify Repetier-Host, beacuse it is just a host software, you have to modify the arduino code and the
gCode-generator, that it will work.

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 25
Step 27: Arduino-Firmware

To controll the SLS-3D-Printer, I'am using a modifed your Arduino mega 2560.
Repetier-Firmware from Repetier.
Once uploaded, go to Repetierhost-->Con g--
This rmware has an feature, that overrides the E-Steps >Firmware EEprom Con guration.
of your Slicer to an Laser, called "Laser-Mode". That
means that I can use normal FDM-Slicers like Slic3r for Then you upload my default Eeprom le, which includes
generating the Gcode for my printer. all the parameters like steps per mm, acceleration,
feedrate...
You can upload the con g.h to the Repetier
con guration tool . Then download the complete You can download my default con gurations here:
rmware, open it in your Arduino IDE and upload it to

Download

https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FJO/XAR9/IP91LFI5/FJOXAR9IP91LFI5.h

Step 28: Modify Slic3r

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 26
I'am using Slic3r to generate the Gcode, because it has G28 X0 Y0 // home X- and Y-axis
some features like custom Gcode on layer change,
which is very important for my DIY SLS 3D-Printer, M84 // disable motors
because I need an custom Gcode for the powder pusher.
G204 P0 S0 // disable extra Motor for the powder pusher
Slicer is allready included in Repetierhost, so you don't
need to download slic3r as a standalone programm. After Layer change G-code:

You need to open the Slic3r con guration. See pictures, G202 P0 X0 // move extra Motor for the powder pusher
where you have to click to 0mm

Then you go to -->Printer Settings--> Custom G-code: G201 P0 X300 // move extra Motor for the powder
pusher to 300mm
Here you type in:
G201 P0 X0 // move extra Motor for the powder pusher
Start G-code to 0mm

G28 // home all axis ( //... = comments, to understand the custom Gcode)

M3 S50 // acctivates the Laser with a power of 50 from

255

For the other con gurations, please download my

slicer con g le:

End G-Code:

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 27
 Download
https://www.instructables.com/ORIG/FD6/5LZE/IPH0A02J/FD65LZEIPH0A02J.zip

Step 29: Make Your Print Material

Normaly SLS-3D-Printers printing with Nylon Powder laser power at 60mm/s. This is great, but not perfect. The
like PA12 which is very expensive. It costs around disadvantage of this material is, that it is not very rigid. It
200€/kg. This is too expensive for me. If I would ll my breaks easily. But for test prints it is ok.
buildvolume of 8x8x8cm with PA12. The Material would
costs more than my complete printer. So I searched for I think it will work with a material like nylon or an other
untypical Materials, which can be sintered, like powder thermoplast when I add a heated bed, because
sugar. I mix the powder sugar with some carbon powder, everything else works nearly perfect (electronics,
but I had no success. The sugar clumps into small drops mechanics, laser...)
(see pictures) und doesn't create an at surface.
If there is someone out there, who has some Ideas about
So I've been searching for an other material. Accidentally a new material which is inexpensive and can be sintered,
I found black powder for powder coating on Ebay. It has please let me know. You would help me a lot.
better characteristics than I expected. I can print the
material without a heated bed and with just 200mW

Step 30: Safety First!!!

Lasers are very dangerous and can make you blind. Don't work without safety glasses!

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 28
That's a really nice project ! great ressources so i can start my SLS/ DMLSopen source printer
brand. Just a few quick notes though :
- You forgot to mention to ground all metal parts (I assume you still did it) , so just remember to
do so
- maybe you could improve printing quality by focusing the laser ? Since you are using an xy
carriage instead of a galvo , focusing the laser should be very easy. Also , a focused laser
increases its energy density , so by having a very good focus , and a more powerful laser , you
could try sintering things like aluminium or maybe copper
- I saw in your other project on sls printers , that you used some form of sugar. Maybe crushing
the sugar in a mortar till its very fine could also improve quality.
- I have a few design ideas that would either have a better joint in pistons (you don't want to get
powder all over the place do you ?) or use a powder distributor IN FRONT of the pusher/roller .
This way , powder just falls. Also , this makes it easier to refill than a piston , and you don't have
to completely fill it (or offset the piston), you just have to put in the powder you need.
- Is a heated bed necessary ? I think an ir heater from above (just heating the active layer) would
be more efficient than heating the powder from under
lastly , maybe you should think about a system for neutral gas injection / fire extinguisher and
handler and a sealed system with a vacuum to vacuum the powder BEFORE removing your
finished prints (fine powders tend to cause lung issues). Also , a system that would pause the
printer if the door is opened during printing ( a 1W laser is considered class 4 , so a little
protection wouldn't be too bad)
Nice work! Can I try make one based on this idea?

where u use the rassbery pi?

Wow, that's an excellent-looking build. The quality of the parts doesn't look that great, though. Do
you have any ideas what could be done to improve that? Is it just because you're not using an
ideal material - would nylon be better? Or would a heated build space make it better? Have you
tried higher laser power & faster print, or lower power and slower print, to see if it affects the
quality? You could easily double the laser power with something like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/blue-laser-diode-2w-m140-M-type-blue-beam-laser-diode-
2018/162850491945?hash=item25eaa54e29:g:N4MAAOSw61haWlBm. But would it help?

Lastly, was there some reason you used an X-Y gantry with the laser fixed to it in this design and
not a laser galvanometer? $100 will get you a 30kpps laser galvo on ebay (though I realise the
power supply & interfacing is a bit more difficult for it).
It s more about the wavelength of the laser not the Power, he should try 300mW-1000mW laser
with 800-975nm. We need to do some research about laser wavelength and particle absortion
energy
I'm still trying to research this myself, but from what I can tell a galvo would require using a f-
theta-lens in order to focus https://www.thorlabs.com/newgrouppage9.cfm?objectgroup_id=10766
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 29
which is what the professional grade printers use (and cost min $200 on ebay it appears). I
assume your max scan speed will be much faster with the galvo though.
Nice metal work! I would like to know where you source your lasers. I am hoping for a heavy
enough laser to fuse plastic or metal but I am not sure what wattage will do the job.
adamtimm1, according to what other major companies use (Prodways ProMaker P1000, XYZ
Printing MfgPro230 xS) the most common laser for polymers (Nylon 12) is a 30-60w CO2 laser
(~$100 on ebay for a cheap one). Sinratec uses a diode laser. From what I see from
OpenAdditive.com, their lowest powered metal system is 300w up to 1kw.
Good build. Too bad you can't make use of it b/c of the high prices for (in general) dirt cheap
resources which are artificially high priced.
Hi. How did you determine the laser power and the depth at which the laser will melt for each
layer of printing (Resolution)?
Hiiii
It's a great project I am thinking it to show it in my major project in college
can you tell me how to use a heated chamber can a heated build plate which used in FDM 3D
printers used as chamber and how to control it
Hi, this is awesome design! I am looking for the way to modify your design to work with clay
powder (ceramic) and jets of water/binder. I thing your project is the best base for it and require
very minor modification (water jets instead of laser and bring "print head" closer to surface). Do
you have suggestions on what would be easiest way to do these mods since you created the
original one? Sincerely, Dmitry
Would you be interested in selling me a complete printer?
info@taktikairsoft.com
Great project!
These days, I am trying to build my own machine based on your shared documents. Today, I
found a problem that there has no signal on the LASER PIN when the machine is working. To
check it, I used multimeter and oscilloscope. Also, I tried to type "M3 S50" in Repetier Host
interface, however, I got the same result.
Did you meet this problem before? If yes, could you give some help? Thank you.
Maybe your I/O-pin on the arduino is broken. Try to define an other pin as your laser pin in the
config.h file, under lasersettings and messure again. I think that should solve your problem.
Love your approach starting a similar project could use your help

Thank you for this great tutorial. Once we complete this tutorial, will be easy to do a new 3D
printer with a larger build volume (I am thinking of 40x30x30 cm)?
Have you concidered using finely ground PLA powder?
You could use a failed pla print grind it on a belt sander and sieve out the larger crumbs. That
would be a nice and cheap source of the material.
This is probably something most people don't want to do. but... if you spend a little time you can
pretty easily mill your own powders... i built a large tumbler, using a 5 gallon bucket with a water
tight lid (has an O-ring), some 2x4, a few bits of 8mm rod, couple bearings, and a large AC motor
off eBay. you can whip your self up a 5 gallon ball mill... using some cheep steel ball bearings of
your choice from eBay, (i use 1/4) and some abs, pla, nylon (or what ever you chose) pellets
which are cheap and easy to get (again eBay) toss a couple pounds in there with your bearings
and let it run until you get the size you want.
could you contains a detailed account about laser and code?

DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 30
 Man this is just downright impressive! I've been considering taking on a similar build but can't
justify the expense until I can reasonably source the metal powder and a laser adequate enough.
Is your SLS capable of working with metals?
How powerful laser should be for that?
Yes, if you find any information regarding this, please share !

You will need to preheat your powder supply to achieve Metal melting temps with the Laser in this
instructable. It's ideal to do so for non-metal powders as well. One company that is developing 3d
metal production currently uses Halogen lighting with a heated bed to achieve melting point (I'm
not at liberty to say which company).
Hm, I guess pre-heating is a technology, but with this DIY printer its not a good idea =/

Does anyone know where to buy nylon 12 powder?

Not cheap, but Aliexpress is probably the best value where you can find it for $50/kg if you
purchase a large enough volume. Stateside from an authorized Evonik supplier, you're looking at
anywhere from $150 - $350/kg
Hey! Amazing build! well done!!
Well I did a quick search in Alixpress you can find cheap Nylon powder!
Take a look at these links:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Free-sample...
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/High-streng...
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/cheapest-ny...
Keep us updated if you do new tests.
I know you explained it, but I'm struggling to follow how the G-Code goes into the Arduino code.
From what I can understand, you have a base Stepper Motor Setting. Then you take the G-Code
and insert it into the Arduino code? Or does that somehow just talk to the Arduino and tell it what
to do? (I'm good at the making part, not so great at circuits or programming). Thank you!

have you tested this out with other plastic powders? I'm about to design and build a small SLM
printer and a temp to use polymorph powder, (£14 per 500g tub) with black powder dye mixed in. I
would love to see what other parts you have printed on this machine. thanks
Sadly I don't printed any other powder than the powder coating powder succesfully. This has
something to do, that I don't have an heated bed/ heated chamber /heated partbed. Even for
sugur you need to heat the powder.
But all these problems where solved in the next version. So stay tuned.
Do you want to build a SLM Metal printer? Which Laser do you have?
excellent disciplined approach to engineering and design. I wish you the best in your carreer.

epic project mate, i was wondering if it would work with aluminum powder?

In this setup it will not work with aluminium powder. If you plan to sinter metal, you need an very
strong laser >100w and the right wavelenght. Also you need to print in a gas atmosphere to
prevent self explosion of the powder. You have to take attention on static and many other security
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 31
 features. It is not that simple as expected :-)
What about fine aluminum powder mixed with say 20% fine wax powder. Then sinter part in oven,
wax melts away leaving aluminum part with slight reduction in size.
Also i think with metal sls as you describe the inert gas is to prevent oxidation.

Very nice work.

Thelaser housing won´t be shipped to germany and where do you get the brackets from. Is it also
a stl file?
Hello,
i forget to upload the brackets. Sry. I attached them in my comment.
You can use any housing for an TO-18 Laser. If my liked one is not aviable, I would chose this
one:
http://de.aliexpress.com/item/Laser-Module-Housing...

THX. And where did you get you slotnuts from? Could you publish an Illustrator file or something
like that about the wooden box...No clue how to built it. Can´t with Fusion.
For the slot nuts, please look at my Vulcanus V1 instructable. I made the nuts out of normal hex-
nuts. I added an additional File for the pistons
very nice and helpful.
will it work with metal powder?
very nice and helpful.
will it work with metal powder?
This is easily one of the best-documented projects on here. Excellent work.

Great job. Clear instructions. Giod. Thanks

Congratulations on this great project!

Thanks for sharing!
This is one of the best instructables I have seen.
next step is a metal version :P
Well done mate!
This is amazing and I can see you have a great mix of technical knowledge and problem solving
skills. Way to go, keep it up!
Is it v-slot where can I buy this?

can this create non-prismic bodies, i.e. not simple vertical extrusions?

yes. This kind of 3d printer is the least restrictive when it comes to possible part geometry. It is
the perfect machine for printing organic, complex, even hollow shapes. It's even posible to
integrate internal mesh or honeycomb structures in to your parts.
DIY-SLS-3D-Printer: Page 32