Direct Slicing Based on Material Performance and Process Parameters for Selective Laser Sintering

Direct slicing from CAD models to generate sectional contours of thepart to be sintered for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) may overcome inherent disadvantages of using a Stereo Lithography ( STL ) format. In this paper, a direct slicing procedure is proposed for Selective Laser Sintering based on material performance and process parameters. Slicing thickness depends on the 3 D geometric model,material performance and process parameters. The relationship among material performance, process parameters and the largest slicing thickness is established using analysis of a sintering temperature field. A dynamic linked library is developed to realize direct slicing from a CAD model.