SLS: SLS (selective laser sintering) is a powder bed 3D printing process in which a laser fuses thin layers of nylon or other polymer powder into solid parts.
An SLS printer spreads a thin layer of polymer powder, usually PA12 or PA11 nylon, across a heated build chamber. A laser traces each part’s cross-section and fuses the powder; the bed drops and the next layer is spread. The loose powder supports the parts, so no support structures are needed and parts can be stacked throughout the whole volume.
What it means for the price
The machine runs one build holding many parts, so a part’s cost is its share of that build. It pays its build share of the run’s machine time, the powder it consumes, and the cooling, unpacking and bead blasting after. Build height drives run time, and how densely the build is packed decides how many parts share it. Unfused powder ages and is topped up with fresh powder at a powder refresh rate, which adds material cost beyond the part’s own mass.
Example: if a build costs €600 to run and a part takes 2% of the packed build, its share of the machine cost is €12. The figures are an example.
Common confusions
SLS and MJF are both polymer powder bed fusion, but MJF fuses with a jetted agent and infrared heat instead of a laser. Quotometry prices SLS today by build share; read how SLS pricing and nesting work or see the SLS process page.
Go deeper: SLS pricing: build share, packing density, refresh and cool-down