Sonda Sys’s SL 01 3D printer is a lower cost industrial 3D printer.
Sonda Sys is yet another Polish 3D printer company, coming from a country that has generated far more than its share of 3D printing ventures.
They say they’ve produced the “first Polish industrial additive manufacturing machine, using SLS technology using polyamide powders”, which may be true, but they are definitely not the first company worldwide to do so.
The device is intended for producing complex 3D prints in thermoplastics, typically Nylon PA11 and PA12, which exhibit great strength.
The SL 01 has a healthy build volume of 250 x 250 x 300mm, which should be more than suitable for most nylon 3D prints. The laser diameter is 0.5mm, indicating the minimum feature size for this device. Layers as small as 0.1mm are possible.
A galvo CO2 laser system is used to apply energy to a flat powder bed to fuse the thermoplastic powder into the desired layers and shapes, as is done on several other machines.
But what makes this machine an industrial quality device? Beyond its large size, comprehensive networking capabilities and obvious workshop features like a prominent emergency power off button and operation signal lamp, it seems to include a material heating system.
This, to me, is a signal they’ve carefully considered the importance of heat when 3D printing powders. Highly consistent heating is a requirement for highly con sistent 3D print results, as the thermoplastics should be fused at common temperatures. Too hot and you may find the meltpool a bit larger than it should be; too cool and adhesion may suffer.
It seems the SL 01 does take these parameters into account and should be able to produce good quality prints in PA11 and PA12.
With its one year warranty and apparent low cost of operation, the Sonda Sys Sl 01 might be a good choice for someone seeking a powerful industrial-quality SLS-style 3D printer.
Via Sonda Sys
