Selective laser sintering fuses nylon powder layer by layer. Unused powder surrounds the part and acts as its own support — so you can print any geometry, including internal channels and enclosed cavities. This is the technology for functional end-use prototypes and low-volume production of engineering parts.
No supports means complete design freedom. Internal channels, nested assemblies, lattice structures, thin flexing sections — all print in a single pass without the design compromises support material forces onto SLA and FDM.
Nylon 12 (PA12), the workhorse SLS material, is a real engineering plastic — not a design-review resin. Parts survive real-world loads, snap-fit thousands of cycles without fatigue, withstand 120 °C continuous service, and shrug off common chemicals.
The surface finish is the one compromise: grainy, like fine sandpaper. For cosmetic parts, you'll want to vibro-polish, bead-blast, or dye-coat. For functional parts hidden inside assemblies, the finish is fine as-is.
| Material | Best for | Tensile | Elongation | HDT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PA12 (Nylon 12) | General-purpose functional parts | 48 MPa | 18% | 163 °C |
| PA11 (Nylon 11) | Higher impact, bio-based | 48 MPa | 45% | 182 °C |
| PA12-GF (Glass-filled) | Stiff structural parts, fixtures | 51 MPa | 4% | 176 °C |
| PA12-CF (Carbon-filled) | High strength-to-weight, aerospace | 70 MPa | 3% | 180 °C |
| PA12-AL (Alumide) | Metallic look, thermal conduction | 48 MPa | 4% | 170 °C |
| PEBA (TPE powder) | Rubber-like flexible parts | 8 MPa | 350% | — |
| PA12 FR (flame retardant) | Aerospace interior, UL94 V-0 | 45 MPa | 10% | 170 °C |
Below 0.8 mm walls can crack during powder extraction. 1.0 mm is safer for larger parts.
Hollow parts need at least two Ø4 mm holes to vacuum out loose powder. Otherwise the part carries extra weight and contaminated powder stays inside.
SLS holes print about 0.2 mm undersized. For press-fit features, design 0.3 mm oversize or drill to final size post-print.
PA12 has excellent fatigue life. A 0.5 mm-thick hinge will survive thousands of flex cycles. Design hinge thickness ~0.5 mm × (part thickness / 3).
Print an assembly in one build — moving parts already assembled, no gluing. Leave 0.5 mm clearance between mating surfaces.
Upload STL. We orient to minimize powder-extraction cleanup of internal features, and print on calibrated EOS P396 machines.
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