SLM or Selective Laser Melting Technology : Explained Briefly
Selective Laser Melting or Direct Laser Metal Melting is a rapid additive manufacturing process which uses high power laser beam as power source to melt and bind metallic powder or powdered alloy layer-by-layer to form a 3-Dimensional object. SLM is similar to SLS 3D printing and both the processes are grouped under Powder Bed Fusion technology. The major difference between the two is SLS 3D printer uses Nylon polymer materials and SLM 3D printer uses metals and alloy materials. SLM additive manufacturing was first introduced in 1995 at the Fraunhofer Institute ILT in Aachen, Germany as a part of German research project. The ASTM International F42 standards committee has grouped SLM technology under “Laser Sintering” umbrella which is inappropriate because the SLM technology completely melts the metal powder to form 3D object. The first SLM 3D printer was commercialized in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1999 by the SLM Solutions . In developing this technology many companies wer
