- Engineers, product designers
and manufacturers choose SLS printers
for design freedom, high productivity and throughput,
and the ability to directly print and use parts.
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Most selective laser sintering, or SLS systems,
require extensive training tools and effort
to prepare and maintain.
The Fuse 1 changes the SLS landscape,
bringing the ease of use, central to Formlabs products,
to powder 3D printing.
The ability to print production- ready parts in-house
means you can rethink product development
and take control of your own manufacturing.
Hi, I'm Rosa and in this video,
I'll walk you through the basic process
of using a Fuse 1 3D Printer
and Fuse Sift Powder Recovery System.
Including software and setup,
printing, post-processing and safety.
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Every 3D print starts with software.
Formlabs PreForm software is designed to make
3D print setup, management and monitoring simple.
To start a print, first export your design
as an STL or OBJ file from your favorite CAD software.
Open the file in PreForm, our free and easy to use software
that prepares your design for 3D printing.
Then, choose your material.
Several versatile production-ready materials are available.
For maximum throughput, each Fuse 1 printer and Fuse Sift
should be devoted to a single material.
Cleaning the hardware to switch materials
will take about one day.
Densely pack the build volume to print
as many parts as possible in one job.
Duplicate and organize multiple parts within a 3D array
to quickly pack the build space.
For smaller jobs that need a fast turnaround,
the Fuse 1 only uses as much powder as the job requires,
eliminating the need to fill the entire build chamber
with powder for every print.
Once your print is ready,
send it to the printer via USB or Wi-Fi.
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A full color touchscreen guides you through every step
of printing and maintenance.
Before starting your print,
load powder to the Fuse 1's hopper
using the powder cartridge.
Next, open the door and insert a clean optical cassette
to protect the printer's optical system.
Then, insert a build chamber.
Having multiple build chambers in your workflow
enables you to run another print
while a previous one is still cooling.
The Fuse 1 monitors itself over time using computer vision
and notifies you whenever a print has failed,
or if a maintenance procedure is required.
Once all the pre-print checks have been completed,
the Fuse 1 is ready to print.
The preprint checks usually take about 10 minutes.
SLS 3D printing fuses plastic powder layer by layer.
The unfused powder supports the parts during printing,
so you can create complex, interconnecting design
with no need for support structures.
Patent-pending surface armor technology
prints a semi-centered shell around the surface of the part
to provide competitive mechanical properties
and surface finish.
During printing, the Fuse 1's camera feed
provides a live stream of the print bed
so you can watch each new layer take shape
directly from your computer in PreForm.
The online dashboard allows you to monitor print progress
and check material supplies,
effectively managing a fleet of Formlab's
printers and users across location.
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The print time shown on the touchscreen
includes the recommended cool down time
and your Fuse 1 will let you know
when your parts are cool enough to take out.
Transfer the build chamber from the Fuse 1
to the Fuse Sift to finish cooling.
The Fuse Sift is a safe, efficient powder recovery system
for the Fuse 1 that helps you maintain a tidy workspace.
This all-in-one station combines part extraction,
powder recovery, storage, and mixing
in a single, free-standing device.
Gradually eject the print cake
from the build chamber into the workspace.
The fuse sift includes both a touchscreen
and physical controls for easy access to key functionality
while parts are being cleaned.
Scrub and scrape powder from the parts
using the provided picks and brushes
or other tools of your choice.
A wire basket is provided to neatly collect your parts
while you continue processing a print.
Wipe any powder that accumulates within the workspace
into the sifter to be recaptured for later use.
The sieve filters out particles to be remixed
with new powder and reused in future prints.
Fuse Sift will dispense and mix
used and new powder automatically
so you can reduce waste and control your powder supply.
Collect any remaining powder from the workspace
using a vacuum controlled by a button
conveniently located on the control panel.
Reduce downtime by transferring modular build chambers
and powder cartridges between the Fuse 1 and Fuse Sift
for a non-stop, cyclical workflow.
A media blasting cabinet, which uses compressed air
and an abrasive media is highly recommended
to remove any final powder residue from your parts.
You can use any media blasting system
that uses glass or silicon media
and has a workspace large enough
to encompass the Fuse 1 build volume.
Some users also supplement their workflow
with additional brushes, vacuum cleaners,
or compressed air for final cleanup after media blasting.
SLS parts can also be spray painted, dyed,
vapor smoothed, electroplated and coated
to achieve different colors, finishes and properties.
For example, water tightness and conductivity.
From the machine shop to the office,
the Fuse 1 is versatile enough for a variety of environments
with the right safety considerations.
When in doubt, always reference the safety data sheet
and manual and consider any local regulations.
Your site must provide operators
with N95 or better particulate filtering respirators,
nitrile gloves, and safety goggles.
The Fuse Sift should be kept
10 meters away or more from people's desks.
Our Fuse 1 Service Plan include training sessions
that cover powder safety and handling.
Final prints from the Fuse 1
balance strength, flexibility, and detail,
so parts are ready for rigorous functional testing
or to ship ready-to-use products to customers.
Control your entire design and development process
from iterating on your first concept design
to manufacturing finished products.
It's time to rethink product development
and take control of your own manufacturing.
The Fuse 1, Production SLS finally within reach.