SLS 3D printing, based on selective laser sintering, is fast becoming the technology of choice for anyone looking to cost-effectively produce robust, industrial-quality parts. In addition to almost unlimited design freedom, the printing process offers industry-standard high-performance materials that can replace traditionally manufactured parts, as well as extremely high resolution and precision. However, as the technology has spread across industries ranging from consumer goods to aerospace component manufacturing, the options for post-processing SLS parts have not evolved at the same pace. Powder handling tools such as the Fuse Sift already offer a simple, affordable solution for powder recovery and recycling. But for the next step, the thorough cleaning and polishing of printed parts, there have not been many affordable devices available.

This is now changing: By adding the Fuse Blast to the finishing process, the time required for cleaning can be reduced to just 15 minutes in future, which corresponds to an 80 percent reduction in the average manual working time. The automated system blasts printed parts with an abrasive while they are spun in a drum. In this way, loose and semi-sintered powder is efficiently removed from the surface to produce smooth parts with no powder residue. The Fuse Blast also includes an optional polishing system for final product quality parts with a smooth, semi-gloss finish ready for painting.

At the asking price, the Fuse Blast aims to deliver a long list of valuable features at a fraction of the cost of comparable cleaning and polishing systems. This fits perfectly into Formlabs' philosophy of providing reliable, industrial-quality tools at affordable prices for professional applications.

But the Fuse Blast isn't the only innovation that optimizes Formlabs' SLS workflow - a series of software enhancements are also designed to make SLS 3D printing faster and even more efficient with the Fuse Series ecosystem. These software updates include an improved packing algorithm that reduces powder waste by 42 percent, a 30 percent increase in printing speed with Nylon 12 Powder, and better resolution of fine details for robust, intricate designs.

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