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The Rise of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D Printers in China
The world of 3D printing has seen a significant transformation over the past few decades. One technology that has gained considerable attention is Selective Laser Sintering (SLS). This technology, invented by Carl Deckard in 19881, uses a laser to trace and solidify layers of powder polymers to create a finished part1. Initially, SLS 3D printers were industrial machines costing tens of thousands of dollars1. However, with recent patents expiring and a renewed interest in 3D printing, several more affordable SLS 3D printers have been developed.Get more news about china sls 3d printer,you can vist our website!
China, known for its technological advancements and manufacturing prowess, has emerged as a significant player in the SLS 3D printer market. Chinese manufacturers have been producing high-quality SLS 3D printers that are gaining recognition worldwide.
One such manufacturer is Xiamen Sinuowei Automated Science and Technology Co., Ltd. They offer a range of industrial printers with double nozzle numbers and metal printer materials. These printers are large-sized and are priced between US$30,000 to US$150,000. They cater to various sectors including dental, research and development, and non-standard machine manufacturing.
Another notable player in the Chinese market is the Polish manufacturer Sinterit. Their product, the Sinterit Lisa, is an affordable desktop SLS printer priced at around €9,995. It offers a printing volume of 150 x 200 x 150 mm, making it suitable for most single-part projects. Despite being a desktop printer, it weighs 41kg, making it less portable1. The Sinterit Lisa is compatible with PA12 Nylon and Flexa black materials and offers a layer thickness of between 0.075-0.175mm.
SLS printers have a more restricted material range than technologies like Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), mostly restricted to Nylon Polyamide powders1. Some are restricted to just black PA12, whereas some can also print powders including PA11 and PA61. Increasingly, powder mixes are compatible with industrial and desktop SLS 3D printers. These include glass mixes, carbon fiber mixes, and even food-grade powders for niche applications1.
The rise of SLS 3D printers in China is not just limited to manufacturing. Companies like Protofab offer industrial 3D printer rental services3, catering to businesses that need high-quality printing but cannot afford to purchase their own machines. These rental services offer fast printing speed, high printing accuracy, high surface finish, and high printing success rate.
In conclusion, the growth of SLS 3D printers in China is a testament to the country’s technological advancements and its ability to adapt to global trends. With manufacturers producing high-quality machines at competitive prices and companies offering rental services for businesses of all sizes, China is poised to become a global leader in the SLS 3D printer market.
FARSOON 3D PRINTING USED TO BUILD CHINA’S LARGEST REUSABLE ROCKET ENGINE
Chinese aerospace firm Galactic Energy has turned to 3D printing to build the country’s largest reusable rocket engine to date. Get more news about china sls 3d printer,you can vist our website!
Galactic Energy’s Welkin 50-ton LOX/kerosene engine features more than 30 Farsoon-3D printed parts, including a turbo pump and LOX/kerosene main valve housing. Since integrating these cost and lead time-optimized components, the firm has gone on to verify the engine’s ignition, starting, and transition performance, via a full-system test.
Falcontech’s 3D printing exploits
Based in the city of Wuxi, Falcontech is a YinBang-backed provider of production services that cover powder R&D, performance testing, reselling, CNC machining, 3D printing, and isostatic pressing. In practice, the firm divides its business into three divisions: Special Metal Powder, Special Manufacturing Technology, and 3D Printing, the latter of which serves aerospace, medical, and molding clientele.
To address this demand, Falcontech not only deploys its farm of EOS, Renishaw, and Concept Laser machines, but calls upon the ‘SuperAM’ 3D printing facility it bolstered in 2020 with 20 Farsoon systems. Having already used the FS421M, FS301M, and FS271M to 3D print various aerospace parts, it was said at the time that Falcontech aimed to install a further 30 Farsoon printers, taking its total to 50.
Falcontech boasts of its portfolio’s potential to develop consolidated, lightweight aerospace builds with improved performance, thanks to their complex, topology-optimized designs. Having been tapped by Galactic Energy, it appears that the company’s services are now enabling the development of an engine that could become critical to China’s launch capabilities in the years to come.
Galactic Energy’s Welkin engine
According to Galactic Energy, the Welkin is China’s first reusable large-thrust open-cycle LOX/Kerosene rocket engine. Featuring a variable area pintle type injector, and a unique geometry that combines film and regenerative cooling, the propulsion system is designed to provide 40 tons of variable thrust at a thrust-weight ratio of over 120:1.
Critically, the Welkin’s variable thrust capabilities enable it to drop booster levels for soft landings, while its fault detection and isolation functionalities facilitate continued re-use. As such, it’s said that the engine can be redeployed up to 50 times, putting it in the same reusability category as the Merlin rocket engine developed at SpaceX.
Interestingly, rather than producing the Welkin’s 3D printed parts in-house, Galactic Energy chose to outsource them to Falcontech in 2019. To fulfil this order, the latter deployed Farsoon PBF, as well as DED, and CNC machining, over a four-month period. It’s said that conventionally producing the thrust chamber parts would have taken some 25 days, but 3D printing them took just four.
By redesigning the engine’s turbo pump, it’s also understood that Galactic Energy has managed to improve its efficiency by 5%, and following full-system testing, the operation, structural design, and coordination of each of the Welkin’s assemblies have now been confirmed, moving it a step closer to launch applications.
Once ready, the engine will reportedly be used to power the Pallas-1, an eight-meter-high launch vehicle that’s set to be capable of launching groups of satellites into orbit. While Galactic Energy’s other rocket, the Ceres-1, has already been deployed, the commissioning of its new offering could be significant in that it’s highly reusable, potentially making it China’s answer to the USA’s SpaceX Falcon 9.