Powder removal
Residual powder should be removable. but is difficult to remove in the case of long and thin pipes and parts with complex internal structures. The easier the powder can be removed, the shorter the post-processing time.
Tolerances
The tolerances depend on the material used and the component geometry.
In most cases, the following values can be assumed:
- 0 – 100 mm: +/- 0.3 mm
- More than 100 mm: +/- 0.3 % of the nominal dimension
Smaller tolerances may be possible depending on the component geometry. In such cases, further consultation with FKM is required.
Geometry-dependent distortion is possible because laser sintering is a thermal manufacturing process.
The tolerances specified above do not apply to holes. Bore dimensions are generally slightly smaller than required.
Costs
The costs depend on the overall height (Z direction), which in turn determines machine hours and powder consumption.
Significant cost savings can be achieved with the following design measures:
Reducing the construction volume
- Integrated design
- Lightweight construction
- Force flow optimised design
Reducing the overall height:
- Designing components with the lowest possible height
- construct
- stack