An overview of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) technology for metal 3D printing

Abstract

Additive manufacturing is the process of building a component or a product layer-by-layer, as opposed to casting the component and then performing various subtractive machining processes like turning, drilling, milling which are the approach of subtractive manufacturing. The term 3D printing refers to the family of additive manufacturing processes, which utilize different mechanisms in order to build the product from a sliced computer aided design (CAD) model fed to the machine. direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) is the one method of 3D printing functional metal parts are suitable for engineering applications and has the potential to provide a viable alternative to conventional methods of manufacturing and produce superior quality components with great flexibility in design using a wide range of materials. This paper presents the overview of DMLS technology, process parameters, design considerations, case studies of parts manufactured by DMLS and its applications in metal casting and rapid tooling.