This is a long one! But definitely stick around until the end to watch this build come together and to see some of the awesome prints the Sintratec kit is capable of. Should you add this printer to your growing collection of CNC machines? I discuss the pros and cons of SLS printers so you can make an educated decision. This technology has special requirements but can produce strong end use parts with minimal post processing.
Growing collection? I don't even have a 3d printer let alone a collection of cnc machines. That has actually been the major hold up of designing this laser microscope which I am hoping will bring down the cost for researchers. Currently the prices run from $50-100k. I am aiming for a price of $1k but making a precision stage for my prototype by hand is not easy.
@@DrDFlo Yes. Since Blue Ray laser diodes have gotten very cheap you can get down to about 400nm resolution while also using them for many other things such as direct write lithography. But I also built a maskless UV lithography head that works on the same principle as a SLD printer. I need to get better accuracy/repeatability on the xy stage though for image stitching before I can release them. Right now after a couple steps across the substrate the alignment is no longer there. I am experimenting with some chemical machining now but so far that only works for thin parts. Ideally I would have a lathe to cut micrometer screws.
Dr.D-Flo, every content that you're putting out is captivating and well paced in explanations. Thank you for your generosity for sharing your knowledge with the curious youtubers like me. Be blessed. Salutations from France.
Truly excellent intro to SLS printing. I am pretty familiar with FDM printing. This was great way to see the fundamental technology hands on. Your explanations and tips were spot on. My first impression was that this was a metal cable printer then realized you can use only TPE and PA12. Still pretty awesome. Would love to see a low-cost Metal printing SLS demo.
I bet you with some additional modifications to the laser source and optics, you could gain the ability to sinter metal powder. Aluminum has a melting point of 660°C (1220°F), but keep in mind that the sintering temperature can be quite a bit lower for many metals. Some aluminum alloys and such can be sintered at 590C according to: www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1727
@Brandon Smith maybe with a 30W source... i still doubt it though... the scan speeds would have to be cut to at least a quarter of what they are now... The galvos usually run in a close to resonance mode and changing the scan speed will significantly impact the accuracy of the system.
@@MasterThief117 i work with sls polymer and dmls metal printers and although looking through the window they look like the same process they are quite a way apart in real terms. even this version of sls technology is using workarounds for the diode laser source to work with the plastic (it has to be pigmented here for the laser to be absorbed)- theres also no gas shield - even sls uses nitrogen, dmls uses nitrogen or argon depending on the metal as it oxidises on contact with the laser. then theres the issue of the condensates given off by the process - fancy some spontaneous combustion? Id love the technology to trickle down to enthusiast level too but its a way off yet .
@@MasterThief117 argon is heavyer then air ,so u need some cup like sealed bottom get smart valve that monitor how much liters u can release (let say u need 3 l per print ) ,switch galvo with fiber laser 30w can eat any metal ,and last super expensive metal dust at 160+$ per kg ,after print you need some heated box that can heat up to 900c to fuse metal part and stress out from print ,and bill will go 3k for fibre + some add parts for argon + bottle 3-400 , and heated box you can get one jewelers use for 1.2k and load metal dust and have fun
These are the best 1 hr 16 min I have to spend. One of the finest pieces of content to study the understanding of printers. Thank you Dr. D-Flo for such amazing content.
The entire 76 minutes were informative and well presented. Your comments on the kit and its quality issues came across objective and fair. This is a big step up from some of your earlier content which was more on the humorous side.
Crazy impressive man. Just everything is impressive. Your knowledge on these subjects, how you explain and I actually understand, and your results. I've never heard of this type of printing, but that was a very interesting video and well done. I really like watching your videos because they are entertaining, and I really do learn a lot of things. I set up Twin Turn CNC Lathes at my work, and pretty much all your videos better help me understand the components and concepts behind machinery, electronics, and just how things work. Can't thank you enough!
In reference to your comment about the quality of the solder points on the laser; I'm an industry professional in additive (worked as a lead tech for an OEM for a commercial grade DLP printer for 5 years, now as a field engineer in SLA/SLS) you would be appalled at the quality of some of the components that come out of the factory in commercial and industrial grade machines, pushing the price $500,000 price points, before turnkey installations. But I can guarantee you that the majority of the cost of that printer is focused around the optical plate and the laser itself. I am somewhat surprised at the quality of the diode though. Especially with the lack of the F-Theta lens. (Though that's usually why companies stay at the lower build envelope size, as the logic involved in rectifying the focus during a build is where most of the complexity in these machines comes into play)
Hopefully Sintratec has payed attention, and cares about customer experience, easy for them to remedy these issues, what a great video to help them advance too another level, or too end up another dumpster fire!!..Well done!!
I think using the vibration of the hoover can be used to vibrate the powder true the filter into a cone shape collector underneath the container of your hoover. This way you don't make a mess and automatically separate the useful from the usefulness powder
@Dr. D-Flo - TIPP: u gotta roll the zyclone container while u pour out the powder, when u use a relatively small container as u did, in order not to spill that much nylon powder :) used this method with any high viscosity fluid and solids and it worked like a charme so far (works with grounded coffee as well)
I used to do a lot of SLS printing with Shapeways until I got my own resin printers. The detail is so much better, even on a low end printer. I don't know why I would go back to SLS.
IIRC SLS prints have greater material properties being more durable and less brittle than SLA prints but if all you're looking for is high detail and surface finish SLA would definitely be the better contender.
The honesty while putting this together was very refreshing for youtube! It makes for a much more believable review when you point out all the negatives and how they can be fixed. 👍
Corection on 24:08 The actual "motor" sits in the silver part of the galvo. It is a permanent magnet glued on the shaft driven by 2 coils. The black thing houses sensors for the closed loop system. In most cases there are a couple photodiodes inside, some infrared leds and a "cut out disc" that is connected to the shaft. PS. The optical system can be made preaty cheap you can get the galvo for about ~200$ some time you can get 30kpps glavos for under 100$ from china. The laser diode would be 2-30$ depending on the Wattage, the holder you can probly diy, the correction optics are just prisms because blue lasers make a line/ rectangle and you correct it so it makes a "quadrat"(don't know the english word for it right now, it's german) Lenses are cheap when you go with standard sizes.... And for larger build volume you can copy the beambrush technoligy by Pangolin Laser systems. With that you change the focus with a galvo or use a longer focal lenght...
Wow and I thought I couldn't sit through MKBHD's 50 min iPhone video, but I just sat through 75 mins without even taking a break! Super informative. For some reason though, I heard "SLS" and saw the orange window and thought "You made a metal laser printer?!".
i dont often comment on videos but i am currently studying level 3 engineering and your video has been very informative for my additive manufacturing assignment, thanks a very well execute video.
Printing enthusiasts and engineers have been waiting SO long for it. It opens the doors WIDE open for possibility especially when metal sls is affordable for home gamers.
I checked their website, 6k Is acceptable price. Imagine if we fish most the plastics out from the Oceans, then grid them in fine powder and use it in SLS Printers.
I use a 3D Systems resin SLA printer. Crashes are the worst. I will spend up to three hours cleaning out the delam layers out of the vat. If im lucky its a 45 min cleanup.
I was all into these until I had some professionally printed parts done and compared them to my FDM and Resin prints.... Nope... no advantage in mechanical strength over FDM, and worse finish than Resin.
@@DrDFlo Sinterit makes a similar machine called Lisa, and Formlabs has the Fuse 1. Sintratec is definately not the only company that tries to build and sell Desktop SLS machines...
@@ProtonOne11 The Fuse 1 starts at over $18k. The Lisa doesn't even list the price for just the base model, so it's probably over $15k as well. He said "as accessible as possible," so at the ~$7k price point, he's not wrong.
We made some fine powder grinding down material similar to sea shells. We took the shells into a machine to blast it. The powder came out isn't extremely fine. So it went through a sieving process. The result isn't the best as sieve holes cannot be too small or it will be very slow. If sieve hole is bigger, the powder quality goes down. After some fiddling, we flip the sieve upside down and use air to blow the powder, the finer dust will pass through the sieve easily. The bigger pieces usually fall down without blocking the sieve holes, they will be filled back to the grinding machine to blast again.
What a great way to present the principles of SLS with the construction of this printer. You did an awesome job weaving in the theory as well as the practicalities of the tech and also how this specific machine is put together to tackle the challenges of SLS. Also, when you were showing the back of the machine and limit switches I couldn't help but see the v-rollers as googly eyes haha
Try consolidating the powder with a spatula. Wiggle the powder in the supply bed for a while and you will see it dip. This removes air trapped within the powder.
I was wondering about that, seeing that the powder was just left settling on its own. I'd definitely throw together a poor man's vibrator and stick it underneath.
Fantastic video! Extremely much information layed down very clearly! You are truly a born teacher. What a huge amount of preparation has gone into this entire video. Complete with graphics and everything has been thoroughly explained and new knowledge can easily be absorbed by the listener!! Thank you so much for your generous sharing!
Potential solution for separation of powder after print completion: Acoustic vibration? If you used a speaker to vibrate the parts, that may loosen the extra powder easier than manually poking at delicate structures.
Great Video, really comprehensive, gave good look at the issues with the system and some valuable tidbits and tricks with sls printing! Some good tunes in there too. Thanks!
I have worked for the pharmaceutical industry in the capacity of a robotics engineer for most of my adult life at least the part that matters. Much of this time was spent with Optical and laser-based Robotics platforms. I have every single component that this machine uses but everything's scaled-up I have some $6,000 melles griot lasers. I have a couple of $14,000 spectra-physics blue lasers that have remote controls and you can dial in the power which is nice. I have a ton of galvanometers but they have beryllium mirrors which are optically perfectly flat and are horrendously expensive. The problem is everything is really big the mirrors are about 5 inches long and 2 and 1/2 inches wide problem that this machine has you would mention the lack of a theta control lense. The biggest problem that this machine has is that it requires a theta lense in the first place! I would absolutely never use this method for such an application. They should have used a smac drive which is basically a voice coil moving back and forth. You gain the benefit of this smac Dr going exactly where the output of the laser is at all times. It requires a pentaprism which I also have LOL it would significantly increase the price of the unit however. But would completely eliminate Divergence of the laser
was quite the interesting look into the this process. Also real easy to see how its price can climb up rapidly. Given the apparent precision of SLS made parts I wonder if they are sometimes the basis for molds used for poured metal processes or even building the metal dies for injection molding systems. And for some humor at 59:45 "Who are you going to call?" the plasma cutter torch seriously looks like a neutrino wand from the proton pack
I suggest for sieving that you use a scoop to go from the huge container into the sieve, and have the sieves sit in the smaller translucent container. You should end up with a lot less airborne and mess.
Diode beams can be circular with fast axis corrective optics mounted inside the package. This is usually reserved to very high end diodes that you don't typically buy online though.. custom stuff and half a million dollar runs etc.
jump forward to present (dec 2023)- is this printer still one of the few consumer SLS machines available? Laser powered modules have increased in power since then. Hopefully there is more competition now. The Sintrack kit noew sells for about $8kusd.
Great video, you got me hooked during the whole time. I have worked as field services engineer with MJF and you explained pretty well all the powder, heat, nesting issues
It was at 8:29 that I decided to like this video and my respect for you has skyrocketed. You are using Precision Ground 123 blocks and precision ground squares. 👌 NOW you have my full attention.
It would seem the nylon is hotter in the build area due to the surface heat there. Is it this location that ages the powder? Why wouldn't the feed chamber nylon be aged 3, 5, 8 hours into your long print? I am suggesting there must be a release or anti-static agent applied to the material which is lost at the infrared warmed build surface due to extra heat but exists at the 140c in the hopper. If so, could it be re-applied to produce proper flow for a second trip through the machine? Incidentally, nylon grows in size with absorption of water.
Really excellent video, cheers for the in-depth look at the entire machine, the build and the logistics of using it. Very helpful for prospective buyers! Having built the kit, do you think it would be possible to add in a few more heaters and thermistors (controlled externally perhaps) around the build chamber? It seems that a few smaller heaters placed strategically could help eliminate some of the cold spots, since right now it looks like it is relying on that big one in the back to get everything evenly heated. Definitely looks like you could slide an f-theta in there if the laser platform was raised up a bit. Great stuff, thanks!
You should join the OpenFuse discord. I’m upgrading the printer now with a CO2 laser, new larger galvos, and f-theta lens. More heating elements in the works too!
I'm sure someone's thought of it, but is there any reason the parts cant for instance, be shaken with some sort of part vibrator to remove the excess nylon powder to avoid the manual process/brush?
I'm sure we will see on the channel a vibrating sieve holder to help separate the chunks from the old powder to make it a lesser dirty job, even just attaching a sieve to a multitool blade and multitool would work.
26:45 I doubt that someone in switzerland is even able to soulder a connection that bad, made in Swiss is something else :) As you said, the kit is good but with minimal tweaks it could be way better...
I don't think the short with the laser would have killed the laser, but it's absolutely unacceptable how many rough edges this product has... amazing video in any case!
Hi, EOS operator here. The heated chamber actually isn’t really meant for baking the moisture out of the powder. You kind of want the powder to be “wet” as static powder is your biggest enemy in (industrial) sls printing. We keep our new powder in open air for at least 24 hours before usage and use a humidifier in the room
Why not use a scale for mixing the powders? Use a hand shovel for pouring powder into the sieves? Use a shaker table for the sieves, so you don't have to do the mechanical work yourself? That could also be useful for when mixing powder, as you'll have constant movement of the particles allowing them to mix easier?
Time of SLS printing is comparable with SLA, DLP or similar printing technologies. SLS is simple the winner in user friendly due to supports, but not private customer friendly due to the price. But the development goes in the right direction.
Thx for the video. In metal casting we often reuse sand as filler material around the mold. I'm thinking that you probably could fill the first centimeter (or more, but I'll come to that) both cavities with pure screened nylon powder, using it as a pure heatbuffer. When casting materials that are prone to warping it is essential to place the form in the center of x y z and that the sand is as thick above and below the part as the distance from the part to the edges (frame material have a part in the amount of heat leeaching but that is the way to know the ballpark)
When dealing with powders that float in the air so you could breathe them, if your body cannot easily dissolve and carry them away (breathing silica or plastic), I suggest ventilation and a half-mask respirator with P95 or P100 filters. Respirator around $40. Replacement lungs, rather more. I agree the soldering job was bad. Note: a short across the laser diode terminals wouldn't fry the laser, because there wouldn't be any voltage across it. If anything was damaged it would be the laser driver or power supply (if not overcurrent protected), maybe the wire insulation would melt.
About an hour and a half to warm up, two hours to cool down, but still faster than my Ender 3 if I were to print something constrained to that build volume of this printer. The price tag... mmm... Expensive, but if quality is your game, then probably good. Forgetting the price, ignoring the cost to keep it running, I can't just ignore the mess. I don't like high maintenance anything, and getting a print done, then having to sift through the used powder really isn't for me. All that said, EXTREMELY extremely useful and VERY awesome information and presentation all around. I hit the subscribe button.
Love it! So much details in all your videos!!! Hey idea for you! How about a sand blast cabinet to sieve your powder and help contain it all then throw a computer fan with weights on it to help vibrate it. It has those built-in gloves, glass window and lights for like 150 at harbor freight
Great video, I didn't expect this kit to be such a box of parts! I guess I'm used to kits that have some things preassembled haha Only crituque I have is using an impact driver instead of cordless drill, good way to strip the thread off the screws or strip the head, they're overkill for just tightening screws.
You could make a cyclone drum with sieve mesh in the bottom, when the powder falls to the bottom it has to go though 500 micron and then through the 212 micron sieve, then you can knock on the side of the container, and simply take out the sifted powder after it has gone down. And one other thing, can you print in metal with this system or do the laser needs to be much hotter...
Dr.D-Flo, excellent video! You should maybe think about incorporating a conical section, your sieve, and a smaller container in the bottom of your dust collector to get your powder ready quicker for your next print. As usual, your videos are an inspiration to me to create things for my shop. Thanks!!
A lot of things I can think of here that could be problems with the design. What is the surface temperature of that rear heater? Generally, a heater can reach a very high surface temperature in order to quickly heat whatever they’re being used for. The concern regards both the Teflon rollers and the switches, both of which sit just a scant inch or two away. After some time, I would expect them to become degraded. I’m also not sanguine about those seals for the powder lifts. I can already see slight space between the cloth and the sides of the chambers in a few spots. The chamber openings at the rear of the chambers, needed for the lift movements, can’t be totally sealed. Powder will accumulate on that cloth surface, which isn’t smooth. As it moves up and down, powder will get between it, and the rear aluminum sheet. I can think of better ways to do this. There are products called funnels. I think we’ve all heard of them. There are funnels for powders. I use them for my powder coat powders. There are small ones, and large ones. Or just make your own from a thin sheet of plastic. So, what happens when printing a hollow object that’s closed? Is it filled with unused powder that can’t be removed? I suspect it is. So all objects need to have openings large enough to allow the powder to be vacuumed out, and perhaps washed out. My advice? Wait for version 2.
53:32 Look at all of that wasted plastic being vacuumed. I hope you've learnt the plastic can go through a few heat cycles before it starts to act weird in your SLS. I used to work at an SLS printing company ;)
Made it nearly to the end before realizing that you were just printing nylon. I was assuming it was just the carrier for a metal. I use an M3-ID and a Prusa Mk3 to print nylon all the time. Admittedly, they are usually small parts and failure rate is high but man....that looks like such a monster headache for plain old nylon parts. You were certainly indispensable for the Voron build, but I think I'll be skipping this one. Terrific job though, really thorough, as usual.
maby you allready now it but: print time is cool down time.. means you should leave the parts in the power cake as long as the job took to print.. that helps preventing warping.. nice vid, thanks for your time!
How about a powder recovery system? Some kind of stack and funnel system you can dump the waste powder into and have it fall through the sieves with some kind of vibration motor attached to it.
Thats close to how we sieve for metalprinting. Keeping it contained in bottles though to remove the hazardous risk of floating fine powder everywhere. Put the bottle of unsieved powder on top. Open the valve and let the powder flow down to a vibrating platform with a fine sieve and an empty bottle under.
If we want a flat lathe bed out of cast iron, we make a flat surface and then do the scraping. What if the surface to work with is a FDM, could we skip the scraping by leveling the surface by a surface grinder alone?
when installing the motors lead screws, did you have to move both of the stages to them top? once the lead screw is inside the motors, If i rotate the motor, the stage moves down but if i rotate the other way around the stage doesnt go up..
The desin of the spreader... wouldnt it tilt when the alu bars extend in a different direction while heated? i hope it was understadable english is not my first language im not sure if i expressed it good
With the release of Mictronics now I rewatched this and tried to check the price. It’s still 6k€ but you can’t buy the kit anymore. Micronics is now at around 4500€ with taxes and shipping while in kickstarter. After kickstarter another 800€. So the price is almost the same as this kit but it’s assembled and comes with the cleaning accessories.
the proprietary laser unit probably won't fry, because it's shorted in the input, so no voltage or current enters the laser unit. instead, the power supply of the machine and PWM control unit/mosfet will most likely be fried, because their output is shorted.
This channel is criminally underrated! That printer is so cool, and I'd imagine with an upgrade to the laser it could even sinter metal
No it can't.
This is a long one! But definitely stick around until the end to watch this build come together and to see some of the awesome prints the Sintratec kit is capable of. Should you add this printer to your growing collection of CNC machines? I discuss the pros and cons of SLS printers so you can make an educated decision. This technology has special requirements but can produce strong end use parts with minimal post processing.
Growing collection? I don't even have a 3d printer let alone a collection of cnc machines.
That has actually been the major hold up of designing this laser microscope which I am hoping will bring down the cost for researchers. Currently the prices run from $50-100k. I am aiming for a price of $1k but making a precision stage for my prototype by hand is not easy.
@@excitedbox5705 Confocal microscope?
@@DrDFlo Yes. Since Blue Ray laser diodes have gotten very cheap you can get down to about 400nm resolution while also using them for many other things such as direct write lithography. But I also built a maskless UV lithography head that works on the same principle as a SLD printer. I need to get better accuracy/repeatability on the xy stage though for image stitching before I can release them.
Right now after a couple steps across the substrate the alignment is no longer there. I am experimenting with some chemical machining now but so far that only works for thin parts. Ideally I would have a lathe to cut micrometer screws.
@@DrDFlo do you have $100,000 or more to spare? I could build one for you. I’m not even profiting at that price.
I am really wanting to buy one of these kits... i'm curious have you used any metal powders instead of nylon??
It costs 6k and it's using v wheels and bar stock for the spreader AND threaded rod instead of ball screws? Dang they are cheap.
ya i saw about 400$ IN PARTS, the most expensive being the 2.3w diode at about 130$. I have 2 20win 5w out diode laser engravers
@@chrisfrisch1347 powerful lasers are pretty easy to get these days. For 6k I'd expect way better parts, like that special lense for example.
@@chrisfrisch1347 you could only recently barely buy a resin printer for around that price what are you talking about
hell yeah b/c engineering, design, prototyping, optimization, manufacturing, inventory, logistics, quality assurance, reliability, software, PR, none of those cost any money
@@jesusisalive3227 especially when everything's already made in china
Dr.D-Flo, every content that you're putting out is captivating and well paced in explanations. Thank you for your generosity for sharing your knowledge with the curious youtubers like me. Be blessed. Salutations from France.
Truly excellent intro to SLS printing. I am pretty familiar with FDM printing. This was great way to see the fundamental technology hands on. Your explanations and tips were spot on. My first impression was that this was a metal cable printer then realized you can use only TPE and PA12. Still pretty awesome. Would love to see a low-cost Metal printing SLS demo.
I bet you with some additional modifications to the laser source and optics, you could gain the ability to sinter metal powder. Aluminum has a melting point of 660°C (1220°F), but keep in mind that the sintering temperature can be quite a bit lower for many metals. Some aluminum alloys and such can be sintered at 590C according to: www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1727
@Brandon Smith maybe with a 30W source... i still doubt it though... the scan speeds would have to be cut to at least a quarter of what they are now... The galvos usually run in a close to resonance mode and changing the scan speed will significantly impact the accuracy of the system.
@@MasterThief117 i work with sls polymer and dmls metal printers and although looking through the window they look like the same process they are quite a way apart in real terms. even this version of sls technology is using workarounds for the diode laser source to work with the plastic (it has to be pigmented here for the laser to be absorbed)- theres also no gas shield - even sls uses nitrogen, dmls uses nitrogen or argon depending on the metal as it oxidises on contact with the laser. then theres the issue of the condensates given off by the process - fancy some spontaneous combustion? Id love the technology to trickle down to enthusiast level too but its a way off yet .
@@MasterThief117 argon is heavyer then air ,so u need some cup like sealed bottom get smart valve that monitor how much liters u can release (let say u need 3 l per print ) ,switch galvo with fiber laser 30w can eat any metal ,and last super expensive metal dust at 160+$ per kg ,after print you need some heated box that can heat up to 900c to fuse metal part and stress out from print ,and bill will go 3k for fibre + some add parts for argon + bottle 3-400 , and heated box you can get one jewelers use for 1.2k and load metal dust and have fun
This is a low cost sls demonstration lmao
These are the best 1 hr 16 min I have to spend. One of the finest pieces of content to study the understanding of printers.
Thank you Dr. D-Flo for such amazing content.
No problem man! I appreciate the kind words
Wow. It wasn't just a build video but a master class in how SLS is done!
The entire 76 minutes were informative and well presented. Your comments on the kit and its quality issues came across objective and fair. This is a big step up from some of your earlier content which was more on the humorous side.
Man I’m getting older... just want to make content that is educational and interesting to me.
Crazy impressive man. Just everything is impressive. Your knowledge on these subjects, how you explain and I actually understand, and your results. I've never heard of this type of printing, but that was a very interesting video and well done. I really like watching your videos because they are entertaining, and I really do learn a lot of things. I set up Twin Turn CNC Lathes at my work, and pretty much all your videos better help me understand the components and concepts behind machinery, electronics, and just how things work. Can't thank you enough!
In reference to your comment about the quality of the solder points on the laser; I'm an industry professional in additive (worked as a lead tech for an OEM for a commercial grade DLP printer for 5 years, now as a field engineer in SLA/SLS) you would be appalled at the quality of some of the components that come out of the factory in commercial and industrial grade machines, pushing the price $500,000 price points, before turnkey installations.
But I can guarantee you that the majority of the cost of that printer is focused around the optical plate and the laser itself. I am somewhat surprised at the quality of the diode though. Especially with the lack of the F-Theta lens. (Though that's usually why companies stay at the lower build envelope size, as the logic involved in rectifying the focus during a build is where most of the complexity in these machines comes into play)
Hopefully Sintratec has payed attention, and cares about customer experience, easy for them to remedy these issues, what a great video to help them advance too another level, or too end up another dumpster fire!!..Well done!!
I think using the vibration of the hoover can be used to vibrate the powder true the filter into a cone shape collector underneath the container of your hoover. This way you don't make a mess and automatically separate the useful from the usefulness powder
Awesome video! I'm excited to see these machines come into the hobbyist level more often.
I feel like Dr.D-Flow is a perfect match for Battlebots. I hope this plants a seed. I look forward to a 2 hour long construction video.
D
@Dr. D-Flo - TIPP: u gotta roll the zyclone container while u pour out the powder, when u use a relatively small container as u did, in order not to spill that much nylon powder :)
used this method with any high viscosity fluid and solids and it worked like a charme so far (works with grounded coffee as well)
Thanks! I appreciate the tip and will try that out 👍
Awesome content David. I have not seen many videos on SLS and this one definitely covers all the bases. Stellar work.
I used to do a lot of SLS printing with Shapeways until I got my own resin printers. The detail is so much better, even on a low end printer. I don't know why I would go back to SLS.
IIRC SLS prints have greater material properties being more durable and less brittle than SLA prints but if all you're looking for is high detail and surface finish SLA would definitely be the better contender.
The honesty while putting this together was very refreshing for youtube! It makes for a much more believable review when you point out all the negatives and how they can be fixed. 👍
Been a while since I sat around for an hour without skipping any part of the video. Great job as always!
Corection on 24:08
The actual "motor" sits in the silver part of the galvo. It is a permanent magnet glued on the shaft driven by 2 coils.
The black thing houses sensors for the closed loop system. In most cases there are a couple photodiodes inside, some infrared leds and a "cut out disc" that is connected to the shaft.
PS. The optical system can be made preaty cheap you can get the galvo for about ~200$ some time you can get 30kpps glavos for under 100$ from china. The laser diode would be 2-30$ depending on the Wattage, the holder you can probly diy, the correction optics are just prisms because blue lasers make a line/ rectangle and you correct it so it makes a "quadrat"(don't know the english word for it right now, it's german)
Lenses are cheap when you go with standard sizes....
And for larger build volume you can copy the beambrush technoligy by Pangolin Laser systems. With that you change the focus with a galvo or use a longer focal lenght...
Wow and I thought I couldn't sit through MKBHD's 50 min iPhone video, but I just sat through 75 mins without even taking a break! Super informative. For some reason though, I heard "SLS" and saw the orange window and thought "You made a metal laser printer?!".
Yah the terminology for powder bed fusion is not the clearest. Typically, SLS is for plastic powders and SLM or DMLM is used for metal.
i dont often comment on videos but i am currently studying level 3 engineering and your video has been very informative for my additive manufacturing assignment, thanks a very well execute video.
Whats that powder cost? Edit: $160/kilo
$10/kilo from china
@@henrychan720 where?
@@Mu1e0 alibaba
@@henrychan720 Might get sand, might get what you ordered... You never know until it arrives.
@@dustinmeier9753 Alibaba is not wish. You get buyer protection just like on eBay. I got a kilo of nylon 6,6 and it works just fine.
Can't wait until SLS printers drastically drop in price. FDM and SLA machines used to be expensive many years ago
Printing enthusiasts and engineers have been waiting SO long for it. It opens the doors WIDE open for possibility especially when metal sls is affordable for home gamers.
I checked their website, 6k Is acceptable price. Imagine if we fish most the plastics out from the Oceans, then grid them in fine powder and use it in SLS Printers.
@@tigre3droyce771 grind into powder need another machine.. sigh...
I use a 3D Systems resin SLA printer. Crashes are the worst. I will spend up to three hours cleaning out the delam layers out of the vat. If im lucky its a 45 min cleanup.
they have designed these remarkable implements called "funnels" you know
Would be sick if you could do material stress tests, and compare them to something equivalent on a FFF. Maybe send parts to CNCkitchen?
I was all into these until I had some professionally printed parts done and compared them to my FDM and Resin prints.... Nope... no advantage in mechanical strength over FDM, and worse finish than Resin.
@@spinnetti Has many advantages.
Great work! Thank you for the detailed workflow.
Thank you for making this kit! Sintratec is the only company that is trying to make this technology as accessible as possible. Cheers!
@@DrDFlo Sinterit makes a similar machine called Lisa, and Formlabs has the Fuse 1. Sintratec is definately not the only company that tries to build and sell Desktop SLS machines...
@@ProtonOne11 The Fuse 1 starts at over $18k. The Lisa doesn't even list the price for just the base model, so it's probably over $15k as well.
He said "as accessible as possible," so at the ~$7k price point, he's not wrong.
We made some fine powder grinding down material similar to sea shells.
We took the shells into a machine to blast it. The powder came out isn't extremely fine.
So it went through a sieving process. The result isn't the best as sieve holes cannot be too small
or it will be very slow. If sieve hole is bigger, the powder quality goes down.
After some fiddling, we flip the sieve upside down and use air to blow the powder, the finer dust
will pass through the sieve easily. The bigger pieces usually fall down without blocking the sieve holes,
they will be filled back to the grinding machine to blast again.
What a great way to present the principles of SLS with the construction of this printer. You did an awesome job weaving in the theory as well as the practicalities of the tech and also how this specific machine is put together to tackle the challenges of SLS. Also, when you were showing the back of the machine and limit switches I couldn't help but see the v-rollers as googly eyes haha
Try consolidating the powder with a spatula. Wiggle the powder in the supply bed for a while and you will see it dip. This removes air trapped within the powder.
I was wondering about that, seeing that the powder was just left settling on its own. I'd definitely throw together a poor man's vibrator and stick it underneath.
Fantastic video! Extremely much information layed down very clearly! You are truly a born teacher. What a huge amount of preparation has gone into this entire video. Complete with graphics and everything has been thoroughly explained and new knowledge can easily be absorbed by the listener!! Thank you so much for your generous sharing!
Potential solution for separation of powder after print completion: Acoustic vibration? If you used a speaker to vibrate the parts, that may loosen the extra powder easier than manually poking at delicate structures.
Add a heatsink on that laser diode, will increase its life span.
Look at the duty cycle. It's hardly powered up. Not a concern.
Great Video, really comprehensive, gave good look at the issues with the system and some valuable tidbits and tricks with sls printing! Some good tunes in there too. Thanks!
Can this printer print any metall powder
I have worked for the pharmaceutical industry in the capacity of a robotics engineer for most of my adult life at least the part that matters. Much of this time was spent with Optical and laser-based Robotics platforms. I have every single component that this machine uses but everything's scaled-up I have some $6,000 melles griot lasers. I have a couple of $14,000 spectra-physics blue lasers that have remote controls and you can dial in the power which is nice. I have a ton of galvanometers but they have beryllium mirrors which are optically perfectly flat and are horrendously expensive. The problem is everything is really big the mirrors are about 5 inches long and 2 and 1/2 inches wide problem that this machine has you would mention the lack of a theta control lense. The biggest problem that this machine has is that it requires a theta lense in the first place! I would absolutely never use this method for such an application. They should have used a smac drive which is basically a voice coil moving back and forth. You gain the benefit of this smac Dr going exactly where the output of the laser is at all times. It requires a pentaprism which I also have LOL it would significantly increase the price of the unit however. But would completely eliminate Divergence of the laser
UG tools uses PA11 for knife sheaths as well. And SLS for titanium knife handles
was quite the interesting look into the this process. Also real easy to see how its price can climb up rapidly. Given the apparent precision of SLS made parts I wonder if they are sometimes the basis for molds used for poured metal processes or even building the metal dies for injection molding systems.
And for some humor at 59:45 "Who are you going to call?" the plasma cutter torch seriously looks like a neutrino wand from the proton pack
I suggest for sieving that you use a scoop to go from the huge container into the sieve, and have the sieves sit in the smaller translucent container. You should end up with a lot less airborne and mess.
Diode beams can be circular with fast axis corrective optics mounted inside the package. This is usually reserved to very high end diodes that you don't typically buy online though.. custom stuff and half a million dollar runs etc.
Learning so much with your videos about 3D! Regards from Spain!
Nice demonstration and assembly of SLS Printer as well as explanation about SLS and manufactured product from SLS Printer
Excellent tutorial, excellent technician / engineer!
Print metal or something, can you ?
Can you print PLA or ABS powder if such exist ?
Thanks.
Won't the hot glue you put in the laser melt ?
jump forward to present (dec 2023)- is this printer still one of the few consumer SLS machines available? Laser powered modules have increased in power since then. Hopefully there is more competition now. The Sintrack kit noew sells for about $8kusd.
Great video, you got me hooked during the whole time. I have worked as field services engineer with MJF and you explained pretty well all the powder, heat, nesting issues
Appreciate it man!
Great project! And a great introduction to SLS along the way!
It was at 8:29 that I decided to like this video and my respect for you has skyrocketed. You are using Precision Ground 123 blocks and precision ground squares. 👌 NOW you have my full attention.
It would seem the nylon is hotter in the build area due to the surface heat there. Is it this location that ages the powder? Why wouldn't the feed chamber nylon be aged 3, 5, 8 hours into your long print? I am suggesting there must be a release or anti-static agent applied to the material which is lost at the infrared warmed build surface due to extra heat but exists at the 140c in the hopper. If so, could it be re-applied to produce proper flow for a second trip through the machine?
Incidentally, nylon grows in size with absorption of water.
Really excellent video, cheers for the in-depth look at the entire machine, the build and the logistics of using it. Very helpful for prospective buyers! Having built the kit, do you think it would be possible to add in a few more heaters and thermistors (controlled externally perhaps) around the build chamber? It seems that a few smaller heaters placed strategically could help eliminate some of the cold spots, since right now it looks like it is relying on that big one in the back to get everything evenly heated. Definitely looks like you could slide an f-theta in there if the laser platform was raised up a bit.
Great stuff, thanks!
You should join the OpenFuse discord. I’m upgrading the printer now with a CO2 laser, new larger galvos, and f-theta lens. More heating elements in the works too!
@@DrDFlo will join, thanks for the tip! The hackability of the machine definitely seems like a nice benefit!
I'm sure someone's thought of it, but is there any reason the parts cant for instance, be shaken with some sort of part vibrator to remove the excess nylon powder to avoid the manual process/brush?
You can definitely do that! You can also put the parts in a tumbler. It will smooth any sharp corners as well
That torch mount is so cool!
I'm sure we will see on the channel a vibrating sieve holder to help separate the chunks from the old powder to make it a lesser dirty job, even just attaching a sieve to a multitool blade and multitool would work.
Gilbeaux's need to be tuned with a signal generator as well. It's fairly simple process of bringing them into have a nice Square wave
26:45 I doubt that someone in switzerland is even able to soulder a connection that bad, made in Swiss is something else :) As you said, the kit is good but with minimal tweaks it could be way better...
I don't think the short with the laser would have killed the laser, but it's absolutely unacceptable how many rough edges this product has... amazing video in any case!
I sticked to my phone until the end, i'm impressed about how well SLS works
Hi, EOS operator here. The heated chamber actually isn’t really meant for baking the moisture out of the powder. You kind of want the powder to be “wet” as static powder is your biggest enemy in (industrial) sls printing. We keep our new powder in open air for at least 24 hours before usage and use a humidifier in the room
where did you get your colored metal bowls...the red, gold, blue ones a the bottom right around 1:30?
Was that super glue left under that front cover? At 5:47 It looks like you put it right on top of the insulation?
Why not use a scale for mixing the powders?
Use a hand shovel for pouring powder into the sieves?
Use a shaker table for the sieves, so you don't have to do the mechanical work yourself? That could also be useful for when mixing powder, as you'll have constant movement of the particles allowing them to mix easier?
Time of SLS printing is comparable with SLA, DLP or similar printing technologies.
SLS is simple the winner in user friendly due to supports, but not private customer friendly due to the price. But the development goes in the right direction.
did you leave that tube of (glue?) inside the door panel at 5:44??? Hope you noticed that and took it out in between jumps lol
Thx for the video.
In metal casting we often reuse sand as filler material around the mold. I'm thinking that you probably could fill the first centimeter (or more, but I'll come to that) both cavities with pure screened nylon powder, using it as a pure heatbuffer.
When casting materials that are prone to warping it is essential to place the form in the center of x y z and that the sand is as thick above and below the part as the distance from the part to the edges (frame material have a part in the amount of heat leeaching but that is the way to know the ballpark)
Very cool, I ran SLS machines for a few years in 2003-ish. Fun stuff...it can do so much.
You did really good...not an easy build by any standard, well done.
You left a zip tie tail on the right side and it’s driving me crazy 😂
Buen día, necesito saber si la kit 2018 necesita la tarjeta SD para funcionar
When dealing with powders that float in the air so you could breathe them, if your body cannot easily dissolve and carry them away (breathing silica or plastic), I suggest ventilation and a half-mask respirator with P95 or P100 filters. Respirator around $40. Replacement lungs, rather more.
I agree the soldering job was bad. Note: a short across the laser diode terminals wouldn't fry the laser, because there wouldn't be any voltage across it. If anything was damaged it would be the laser driver or power supply (if not overcurrent protected), maybe the wire insulation would melt.
So concise and well presented! A joy to watch. Learned quite a lot also.
About an hour and a half to warm up, two hours to cool down, but still faster than my Ender 3 if I were to print something constrained to that build volume of this printer. The price tag... mmm... Expensive, but if quality is your game, then probably good.
Forgetting the price, ignoring the cost to keep it running, I can't just ignore the mess. I don't like high maintenance anything, and getting a print done, then having to sift through the used powder really isn't for me.
All that said, EXTREMELY extremely useful and VERY awesome information and presentation all around.
I hit the subscribe button.
Great overview!
Nice to see you can heat press the threaded inserts into the Nylon Material also.
Love it! So much details in all your videos!!! Hey idea for you! How about a sand blast cabinet to sieve your powder and help contain it all then throw a computer fan with weights on it to help vibrate it. It has those built-in gloves, glass window and lights for like 150 at harbor freight
Great video, I didn't expect this kit to be such a box of parts!
I guess I'm used to kits that have some things preassembled haha
Only crituque I have is using an impact driver instead of cordless drill, good way to strip the thread off the screws or strip the head, they're overkill for just tightening screws.
You got me at, "let's build something using lasers!" or at least that is what I heard in my head! Lol
You could make a cyclone drum with sieve mesh in the bottom, when the powder falls to the bottom it has to go though 500 micron and then through the 212 micron sieve, then you can knock on the side of the container, and simply take out the sifted powder after it has gone down. And one other thing, can you print in metal with this system or do the laser needs to be much hotter...
In the molding industry we use a wire imbedded conveying line
Dr.D-Flo, excellent video! You should maybe think about incorporating a conical section, your sieve,
and a smaller container in the bottom of your dust collector to get your powder ready quicker for your next print. As usual, your videos are an inspiration to me to create things for my shop. Thanks!!
05:47 did you bury the glue tube within the door accidently?
A lot of things I can think of here that could be problems with the design. What is the surface temperature of that rear heater? Generally, a heater can reach a very high surface temperature in order to quickly heat whatever they’re being used for. The concern regards both the Teflon rollers and the switches, both of which sit just a scant inch or two away. After some time, I would expect them to become degraded.
I’m also not sanguine about those seals for the powder lifts. I can already see slight space between the cloth and the sides of the chambers in a few spots. The chamber openings at the rear of the chambers, needed for the lift movements, can’t be totally sealed. Powder will accumulate on that cloth surface, which isn’t smooth. As it moves up and down, powder will get between it, and the rear aluminum sheet. I can think of better ways to do this.
There are products called funnels. I think we’ve all heard of them. There are funnels for powders. I use them for my powder coat powders. There are small ones, and large ones. Or just make your own from a thin sheet of plastic.
So, what happens when printing a hollow object that’s closed? Is it filled with unused powder that can’t be removed? I suspect it is. So all objects need to have openings large enough to allow the powder to be vacuumed out, and perhaps washed out.
My advice? Wait for version 2.
3d printed bearings are usually tweaked for the printer. no surprise about the gaps in bearings. Try tweaking the gaps and try again.
when is cnc kitchen getting some test hooks?
53:32 Look at all of that wasted plastic being vacuumed. I hope you've learnt the plastic can go through a few heat cycles before it starts to act weird in your SLS.
I used to work at an SLS printing company ;)
Made it nearly to the end before realizing that you were just printing nylon. I was assuming it was just the carrier for a metal. I use an M3-ID and a Prusa Mk3 to print nylon all the time. Admittedly, they are usually small parts and failure rate is high but man....that looks like such a monster headache for plain old nylon parts. You were certainly indispensable for the Voron build, but I think I'll be skipping this one. Terrific job though, really thorough, as usual.
maby you allready now it but: print time is cool down time.. means you should leave the parts in the power cake as long as the job took to print.. that helps preventing warping.. nice vid, thanks for your time!
How about a powder recovery system? Some kind of stack and funnel system you can dump the waste powder into and have it fall through the sieves with some kind of vibration motor attached to it.
Thats close to how we sieve for metalprinting. Keeping it contained in bottles though to remove the hazardous risk of floating fine powder everywhere. Put the bottle of unsieved powder on top. Open the valve and let the powder flow down to a vibrating platform with a fine sieve and an empty bottle under.
If we want a flat lathe bed out of cast iron, we make a flat surface and then do the scraping.
What if the surface to work with is a FDM, could we skip the scraping by leveling the surface by a surface grinder alone?
Did you enclose a gluetube inside the door? 5:50
when installing the motors lead screws, did you have to move both of the stages to them top? once the lead screw is inside the motors, If i rotate the motor, the stage moves down but if i rotate the other way around the stage doesnt go up..
Be nice for you to include Imperial and Fahrenheit information as well being in the USA.
So I take it that you don't need to bake these prints after printing?
Exceptional clarity. Thank you.
Bro, that intro song is LIT 😮
The desin of the spreader... wouldnt it tilt when the alu bars extend in a different direction while heated? i hope it was understadable english is not my first language im not sure if i expressed it good
Hi D, so when are you going to super size it???
can you install the sieves inside the cyclone so the collection is pre filtered?
With the release of Mictronics now I rewatched this and tried to check the price. It’s still 6k€ but you can’t buy the kit anymore.
Micronics is now at around 4500€ with taxes and shipping while in kickstarter. After kickstarter another 800€. So the price is almost the same as this kit but it’s assembled and comes with the cleaning accessories.
Micronics has now been cancelled.
@@KentoCommenT yeah I know. It's sad.
the proprietary laser unit probably won't fry, because it's shorted in the input, so no voltage or current enters the laser unit. instead, the power supply of the machine and PWM control unit/mosfet will most likely be fried, because their output is shorted.