SLS 3D Printer Comparison - Sinterit & FormLabs

SLS 3D Printing has the potential to open up small-scale, powder-based manufacturing at an affordable price. Today, we are going to compare the offerings of the two major desktop SLS 3D printer manufacturers, Sinterit and FormLabs.

SLS 3D printing has been around since the late 1980s, but do to patents, affordable SLS 3D printing is just coming to the forefront. Because the original patents for SLS have expired, we are seeing growing entrants into the market, especially at the under-targeted ground floor. That is where Sinterit and FormLabs come in. Both companies offer SLS at incredibly affordable prices. Traditional SLS 3D printers often cost north of an eye-watering $250,000. So 3D printers offered by Sinterit and FormLabs are a sight for sore eyes hoping to see SLS break into the mainstream.

Starting with Sinterit, Sinterit has been a leader from the beginning in affordable SLS 3D printing. The Sinterit Lisa 3D Printer and the Sinterit Lisa Pro 3D Printer are two of the most affordable SLS 3D printers you can find. They have also recently expanded their offering to include a more upscale model, the Sinterit Lisa X 3D printer, and an industrial model, the Sinterit NILS 480. With this huge variety, Sinterit has an SLS 3D printer that can meet your needs and your budget.

Sinterit is also touted for being an open material and open parameter printing platform. This means that you can print using compatible materials made by manufacturer's other than Sinterit. This flexibility can mean a lot of things for you. It can expand your range of applications to use exotic powders. It gives you the ability to purchase less expensive powders that still meet your specifications. It even gives you the ability to experiment with new materials or even develop your own for SLS 3D printing.

Moving on to FormLabs; FormLabs only has one offering, the FormLabs Fuse 1. The Fuse 1 is a strong and reliable 3D printer made by a company known for making quality products. Similarly to FormLab's SLA 3D printers, the Fuse 1 is closed material, meaning you can only use FormLabs powders in the Fuse 1. Currently, FormLab's only offers 2 powders, PA12 and PA11. With this lack of flexibility comes reliability though. Even though you can only print with PA12 and PA11, you can expect reliable results from FormLabs print settings.

Comparison Chart

Machine Overview

Sinterit Lisa

The Sinterit Lisa is the smallest and least expensive of all of the offerings listed above. It doesn't come with a lot of the bells and whistles the other machines on this list offer, but it still offers strong and reliable SLS printing. The Lisa is a great option for education and small part production.

Strengths

• Ease of use and low powder usage makes it accessible
• Great price for SLS 3D printing
• Compact size makes it one of the only true desktop SLS machines

Weaknesses

• Only 2 printable materials
• Smaller build area
• Slower sintering speed
• Less powerful laser
• Not nitrogen gas enabled

Sinterit Lisa Pro

The Sinterit Lisa Pro is one of the best value SLS printers available. At it's lower price, it still comes with most of the features the more expensive models do, such as a nitrogen enabled chamber and the ability to print with upwards of 9 materials. It does print a little slower than the following models, but it's large build volume still allows you to print larger parts or small parts in volume.

Strengths

• Value for features
• Open material and parameter system
• High print quality
• Nitrogen gas enabled

Weaknesses

• Slower sintering speed
• Less powerful laser

Sinterit Lisa X

With the Sinterit Lisa X, Sinterit brought a lot of upgrades to increase throughput and end product quality. Along with the NILS 480, the Lisa X is the fastest printer on this list, printing up to 40% faster than the Fuse 1. Most jobs can be printed within 24 hours. The Lisa X also offers a huge build volume to print longer parts than any of the other compact SLS printers here.

Strengths

• Faster sintering speed
• Open material and parameter system
• Nitrogen gas enabled
• Stronger laser power
• High print quality
• Large build volume for long pieces

Weaknesses

• No powder auto packing
• No removable chamber

Sinterit NILS 480

The Sinterit NILS is Sinterit's first 3D printer targeted directly to large scale industrial use. This means it comes with a lot of features the other printers on this list don't. It also comes with a larger price tag to accomodate that. The most notable feature that the NILS 480 offers is the ability to print continuously using the 2 seperate build chambers in the same printer. After you complete the printing of your first build volume, you can remove the build chamber, and NILS will start printing the second build chamber while you process and clean the completed parts. This greatly increases printer up-time and throughput, giving you the most bang for your buck.

Strengths

• Faster sintering speed
• Open material and parameter system
• Nitrogen gas enabled
• Stronger laser power
• High print quality
• 2 build volumes for continuos printing
• Large build volume for long pieces

Weaknesses

• More expensive than other models

FormLabs Fuse 1

The FormLabs Fuse 1 was designed to take as much of the process out of your hands as possible. By closing their system off and not allowing you to modify settings or use 3rd party materials, the process of printing becomes as simple as possible. While this may limit your use of the technology, it does allow you get started quicker and easier.