Press Release / Industry / igus provides fast custom parts with SLS for 3D printing services

igus provides fast custom parts with SLS for 3D printing services

As part of its 3D printing service, the motion plastics specialist igus now offers Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) with the wear-resistant high-performance plastic I3-PL in addition to the FDM method. Components that have complex geometries but need to be extremely strong can now be made quickly and at a low cost.

In industry, selective laser sintering (SLS) is currently one of the most widespread manufacturing methods in additive manufacturing. A plastic component with exactly the right dimensions is created layer by layer from a special powder. A laser beam quickly melts the very small powder particles so that even complex shapes are not a problem. The entire production process takes place without tools. Due to the high construction speed of the SLS method, large quantities of customised components can be made within just a few hours. Compared to the FDM method, laser sintering is more precise and produces parts of greater stability and strength. As the surrounding powder provides support, additional supporting structures are not necessary. As a result, subsequent machining is no longer needed and the component can be used immediately. igus is now expanding its 3D printing service with this method, so that wear-resistant prototypes or small batches of components for moving applications can be made quickly and easily, and delivered in a short time (at least 48 hours).

Wear-resistant Tribo components from the 3D printing service
Given that many companies do not have their own 3D printer, the 3D service offered by igus gives customers the possibility of having their individual wear-resistant parts directly printed as FDM or SLS components. On the igus website, the customer can simply drag and drop the data in STL format. Next, the required quantities can be specified and a suitable material selected. Finally, igus makes a formal quotation or an order can be placed immediately by the customer. "Thanks to the new SLS printer that we now use in our own manufacturing facilities, components with a height of up to 300 millimetres can be made directly here on site", explains Tom Krause, the product manager responsible at igus. "This means that we can now make complex special parts many times more quickly."

iglidur I3-PL triples service life of moving applications
Small batches of up to 500 parts made of iglidur I3-PL can now be printed in a very short time. This material was specifically developed for laser sintering. The abrasion resistance of this high-performance plastic is at least three times higher than that of conventional SLS materials and it therefore considerably increases the service life of moving applications. This has been shown by extensive testing in the 2,750 square metre igus test laboratory, for both rotating or pivoting as well as linear applications. "In this way, users get a Tribo material that is characterised by good mechanical characteristics, high resistance to wear and low coefficients of friction and that can be shaped to create almost any conceivable component," explains Tom Krause. "The parts can then be used immediately in the application, without the use of any additional lubricant."

For more details please visit: http://www.igus.in/wpck/15292/Motek_N15_04_01_I3_PL_3D_Drucker?C=IN&L=en&sop=1

About igus® India
igus® operations in India started in the year 1998 with head quarters in Bangalore. igus offers widest range of products that includes polymer bearings, igubal® Linear Motion Bearings , Plain Bearings and Bushing Accessories etc. which enable them to serve the whole industrial establishments in India from a small work shop to huge industrial establishments.