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Micronics' SLS 3D printer aims to take SLS mainstream — boasts a desktop form factor and a relatively low $2,999 price
A recent announcement that's shaken up the world of 3D printing is the debut of Micronics' Micron SLS 3D printer, which starts at $2999 and comes in a reasonably compact desktop form factor (akin to a Full Tower, but still). SLS 3D printing, for the uninitiated, differs from more accessible types of 3D printing, like FDM. For example, all our Best Budget 3D Printers picks are either FDM or Resin (SLA) 3D printers.
While this desktop SLS 3D printer isn't quite that cheap, it's important to recall that most worthwhile SLS 3D printers are exponentially more expensive than this and certainly much larger. According to Formlabs, SLS 3D printing is usually saved for final products and industrial workloads, so it makes sense that this ultra-durable form of 3D printing has a higher barrier of entry.
Micronics' Micron SLS 3D printer may just end up changing that, though. Below, we've embedded the full announcement video that goes over the 3D printer, how it works, and how they built such a high-end 3D printer to begin with.
A variety of features are highlighted in the video, but one thing that sticks out is how the Micron SLS 3D printer handles the powder it uses to print. With other SLS 3D printers, you need to fully clean the printer of all the powder before every print, and often need to disassemble it to do so. To alleviate this, Micron chose to design a self-contained build unit, where the powder is stored below the build plate and allows for one deposit to be used for several prints. The chamber also automatically levels the powder surface, so you shouldn't need to clean between prints, either.
For the final 3D part finish, Micron is also providing an easier solution than the usual hand-sifting. A box is included for shaking off powder from freshly printed parts, after which they can have the last bits of dust cleaned with a sandblaster or included dust cleaner.
Interestingly, Micronics is also providing its own 3D slider application, dubbed MicroSlicer, for use with the Micron Desktop 3D printer. This application is built on top of Unreal Engine 5 and its physics to allow maximum performance while controlling laser patterns and automating part placement inside the build chamber.
Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.
I think that an SLS printer at this price point is a very exciting development, as long as the product itself is good when it's released. It doesn't need to be a metal printer to be an important step forward. This will give the benefits of SLA (Plus remove the requirement for supports) without the messy resin handling. Of course, there's the powder cleanup, but that will be much nicer than resin.
