Causes of Bending in SLS Printing

In SLS 3D printing, problems of component bending and deformation are often encountered. The occurrence of such problems directly affects the accuracy of the components and may even lead to scrapping. 

Kings 3D has nearly 10 years of experience in SLS 3D printing and has some opinions on this issue.

Keywords: 

SLS Printing, Bending Causes, Warping in SLS, SLS Print Deformation, Selective Laser Sintering Issues, SLS Printing Troubleshooting, SLS Print Warping Prevention, 3D Printing Defects, SLS Material Shrinkage, SLS Print Quality

(Kings Nylon Powder in SLS 3D printing)

Jerry, Sales and Technical Manager of Kings 3D SLS: 

The internal standard for components of Kings P440 printer is an error of less than 0.15mm, and components larger than 100mm are required to be less than 0.2% of the total length Therefore, there are strict requirements and controls for the shrinkage rate and bending of components.

There are many reasons that can cause bending and deformation of components, but the most common are temperature control and material reasons.

Temperature usually refers to the temperature field during printing and the cooling after printing is completed. An uneven temperature field and significant differences in various areas of the printing cylinder can greatly lead to excessive deformation or bending of the product. After printing is completed, it usually takes several hours to wait for cooling time. Some operators use the wrong cooling method or take out the powder cake before it is fully cooled in order to speed up equipment use, which can cause components near the outside of the forming cylinder to cool faster and more easily deform.

Next is the material, different materials have different shrinkage coefficients, printing requirements, and cooling requirements. If third-party materials are used for printing without timely modification of these parameters, it is also highly likely to cause product deformation. In addition, there are certain requirements for the ratio of old to new powder and additives, as old powder has been used multiple times and still has some differences in performance compared to new powder.

Of course, there are many reasons that can affect the bending deformation of components. If you are interested, you can contact Jerry to discuss this together.

Author: Jerry/ Christine