Prototyping & Fabrication Equipment

• Build Volume (Width x Depth x Height) : 6.5 in x 6.5 in x 11.8 in (165 × 165 × 300 mm)
• Layer Resolution: 110 microns (0.004 in)
• Laser Spot Size (X & Y Resolution): .0033 in
• Materials: Nylon 12 powder prepared by Formlabs
  • Click here for Nylon 12 material properties from Formlabs (opens in a new tab)

How it works: Powder Bed Fusion (PBF)

1. The printing area (known as a build envelope) heats to just below the melting point of the powder. Once it reaches temperature, a small amount of powder is distributed across the bottom of the build envelope for insulation.
2. Ready to start printing, the machine begins depositing the powder layer by layer across the entire printing surface. On the Fuse1, the layer thickness is 0.004", or 110 microns.
3. After a layer of powder has been deposited, a laser will selectively fuse the cross-section of the part for that individual layer. It may fuse a layer for only one part, or it may fuse many different parts in different areas at this layer.
4. When the laser finishes fusing the cross section for each part in this layer, the build platform will lower itself 0.004" and another layer of powder will be deposited. The laser will again fuse only the powder necessary for the geometry of the part on this layer.
5. This process of fusing layers and depositing powder will continue until the entire build envelope has been filled. Because the entire print area is covered in powder on each layer, the solid, fused parts are supported by the unfused powder - no need to build extra support structures like with resin or filament printers.
6. The build envelope must cool down before the printed parts can be removed from the unfused powder. This minimizes the risk of parts warping shape, and ensures printed parts meet the specified material properties (including durability).