What Is Selective Laser Melting?
SLM: Selective laser melting (selective laser melting), a kind of additive manufacturing, rapid molding technology of metal powder, can be used to directly shape close to full density, good mechanical properties of metal parts. SLM technology overcomes the complicated process of selective metal sintering (SLS) technology for manufacturing metal parts.
SLM
(Selective laser melting)
Right!
- Chinese name
- Selective laser melting
- Foreign name
- SLM
- SLM: Selective laser melting (selective laser melting), a kind of additive manufacturing, rapid molding technology of metal powder, can be used to directly shape close to full density, good mechanical properties of metal parts. SLM technology overcomes the complicated process of selective metal sintering (SLS) technology for manufacturing metal parts.
- SLM: Selective laser melting
- SLM technology is a technology that uses metal powder to be completely melted under the heat of laser beam and cooled and solidified to form. In order to completely melt the metal powder, the laser energy density is required to exceed 106 W / cm 2 . The lasers currently using SLM technology are mainly Nd-YAG lasers, Co2 lasers, and fiber lasers. The laser wavelengths generated by these lasers are 1064nm, 10640nm, and 1090nm, respectively. Metal powders have a relatively high absorptance for short-wavelength lasers such as 1064nm, and a low absorptance for longer-wavelength lasers such as 10640nm. Therefore, in the process of forming metal parts, a laser with a shorter wavelength has a higher energy utilization rate, but a Co2 laser with a longer wavelength has a lower energy utilization rate.
Under the action of high laser energy density, the metal powder is completely melted, and it can be metallurgically welded with solid metal after heat dissipation and cooling. SLM technology is the rapid prototyping technology that accumulates three-dimensional solids through this process.
- SLS is selective laser sintering. The metal material used is processed. It is a mixed powder of low melting point metal or polymer material. During the processing, the low melting point material is melted but the high melting point metal powder is not melted. The melted material is used to achieve the bonding molding, so the solids have pores and the mechanical properties are poor. If they are used, they must be remelted at high temperature.
SLM is selective laser melting. As the name implies, the powder is completely melted by laser during processing. No binder is needed. The molding accuracy and mechanical properties are better than SLS. [1]