SLS (laser sintering)

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Filaments is a long, thin strand of material that is used in additive manufacturing, particularly in 3D printing. It often consists of thermoplastics such as PLA, ABS or PETG, which are melted through an extrusion process and applied in layers to create three-dimensional objects. In industrial manufacturing, filament enables the precise and cost-efficient production of complex components and prototypes. The material properties of the filament, such as strength, flexibility and temperature resistance, directly influence the quality and functionality of the manufactured products. Therefore, the selection of the appropriate filament type is crucial for the efficiency and reliability of production processes in the modern manufacturing industry.

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The SLA (stereolithography) process is a special 3D printing process in which 3D models are created by curing liquid photopolymer resin layer by layer with a UV laser. The advantage of this process is that very smooth surfaces can be produced thanks to the high precision. The process is useful for detailed parts in prototype construction or for small parts. In contrast to other 3D printing processes, SLA is one of the slower ones, which is due to the superior level of detail. Depending on the resin, the product from SLA printing can differ in terms of flexibility, strength or temperature resistance.

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The DXF file is a special CAD file format that enables the exchange of 2D and 3D drawing data between CAD programs. The file format can capture information, texts and other details of a drawing and is therefore often used in architecture, mechanical engineering or graphic design. DXF files are platform-independent and therefore enable smooth transfer between different programs. Geometric shapes supported by the format include circles, lines and arcs, making the format particularly suitable for sheet metal working to place parts on a sheet.

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A STEP file is a specific file format that is used in particular for transferring and saving 3D models and CAD data and is primarily used in industry and mechanical engineering. Technical data such as geometric and functional information can be exchanged without loss. STEP files are saved in the same format regardless of the CAD program and can therefore be easily transferred between design and manufacturing systems, thus promoting interoperability between these systems. The format is defined in the ISO 10303 standard.

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A special form of 3D printing is the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) process. In this process, thermoplastic materials are extruded layer by layer and deposited on top of one another to create a 3D object. This 3D printing method is primarily used when prototypes and small series need to be produced cost-effectively and without great demands on surface quality. Plastics such as ABS, PLA or nylon are usually used for production; these are melted through a nozzle and then precisely applied. The layer-by-layer production makes it possible to depict complex geometries and shapes. This allows design features to be precisely represented and optimized, especially during the development phase of a product.