Sinterit Lisa sieve sandblaster
The Sinterit Lisa desktop 3D printer, with the sieve device to the left, and sandblaster to the right.
Desktop 3D printer manufacturer, Sinterit has introduced an end-to-end Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) system after the launch of an accompanying sieve device to its Lisa platform.
Sinterit Lisa was launched in 2015 in a set up which included a sandblaster that helps to clean printed objects from powder used in the process. The latest addition to the system, the sieve, will clean the powder prior to the print process taking place, and facilitate multiple uses of the material. The company sees the end-to-end solution delivering high precision SLS parts at a more affordable price.
Costing around €15,000, Sinterit believes it is making SLS printing more accessible, targeting such companies as those using FDM technologies or those outsourcing the preparation of 3D prints. In particular, the company cites its compact size and user-friendliness, as well as its end-to-end scope, as attractive elements.
Sinterit sieve Lisa system
Sinterit's sieve device completing the end-to-end scope of the Lisa system.
The sieve device, which completes the range of the system from start to finish, automates the process of sieving the powder, saving time and making the entire process cleaner. Slightly smaller than the 3D printing platform, with dimensions of 338mm x 330mm x 585mm, the device can sieve five litres of powder at a time. Users are also afforded the capability to change a mesh to a more appropriate one for the material in use.
Meanwhile, the company, which was established by a group of former Google employees, unsurprisingly takes pride in the software its 3D printing system supports. The primary software suite is Sinterit's own Studio program. However, Autodesk, seeking new ways to facilitate additive manufacturing, has added support for the Sinterit Lisa with its NetFabb software.
"Autodesk NetFabb gives Sinterit users access to industrial grade optimisation for the SLS process, at the part, build packing and parameter level to ensure professional results from the desktop SLS 3D printer," said Duann Scott, Additive Manufacturing and Composites Strategist at Autodesk. "This combination of affordable, professional software and hardware will open up the use cases for polymer additive manufacturing."
According to Sinterit, one of the big attractions of Lisa is its ease-of-use. The printer does not require calibration and is ready to use out of the box. It has a 4” touch screen, built-in camera and communicates via WiFi network, allowing print progress to be monitored online. Recent additions to Lisa include automatic levelling of the powder surface and automatic setting of the bed heights.
In addition to the end-to-end scope that Sinterit is keen to highlight, the company also believes the use of SLS technology, rather than FDM or SLA, is another string to the bow of Lisa. Sinterit cites SLS as the reason Lisa can print the most complicated objects in high accuracy and without the need for support structures. Lisa can also print multiple parts simultaneously.
