Powder Bed (SLS/MJF)

Nylon parts that need no supports at all

A laser or a print head fuses powder in a heated bed, and the unfused powder holds the part up while it builds.

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What it is good at

  • Parts that need no supports at all, so geometry that would be impossible otherwise is routine
  • Nesting many parts in one build, which is what makes short production runs viable
  • Tough, isotropic nylon parts that behave the same in every direction

What people order

  • Functional nylon parts and living hinges
  • End-use production in the tens and hundreds
  • Ducting and manifolds with internal channels
  • Metal parts in titanium and stainless, on the shops running metal machines

What to watch out for

  • The surface comes out matte and slightly grainy — it is a texture, not a defect
  • Trapped powder has to escape, so an enclosed cavity needs an escape hole
  • Metal powder work is a different price bracket entirely from nylon

Materials

Nylon and TPU powders for SLS and MJF, plus stainless, titanium and aluminium for metal machines.

  • SLS nylon PA12
  • SLS nylon PA11
  • Glass-filled PA12
  • Carbon-filled PA12
  • MJF nylon PA12
  • Flexible TPU powder
  • Stainless 316L
  • Titanium Ti-6Al-4V
  • Aluminium AlSi10Mg

Availability depends on the workshop quoting your part; the quote shows you which of them can run the material you pick.

What to send us

.stl

STL files must be binary. An ASCII STL is refused rather than read incorrectly, so export binary from your CAD package.

How the price is worked out

Price follows the powder the part consumes and the time on the machine, against the rate card of the shop that owns it.

Quantity helps more here than anywhere else: parts share one build, so filling a bed is cheaper per part than printing one.

GST is not included in the quoted price; it is added later, in the order.

Questions we get asked

Drop in your file and see the number

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Price my part