Selective Laser Sintering

To bring your 3D creations to life, Shapeways uses an additive production method called Selective Laster Sintering (SLS). This entails spreading extremely thin layers of a nylon-based powder just 0.1mm thick on the build platform, which a laser then melts together. Once a layer is completed, a new one gets stacked on the top of the model and the process starts anew.

The overall size of the model depends on the machine being used, and Shapeways says their limit currently stands at about 70 x 38 x 58cm. Details up to 0.1mm can be printed, and all walls should be at least 0.4mm thick to ensure the structural integrity of the object and avoid any Humpty Dumpty-like catastrophes.

Fused Deposition Modeling

Another additive production method Shapeways employs is called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Instead of a nylon-based powder, FDM models feed ABS thermoplastics through the machine as a wire. Once inside, the material gets heated through a nozzle and then squeezed out like toothpaste (don't try sticking it in your mouth). To make the model structurally intact, support material is used during the building process to support unfinished parts, and then can either be broken away once the model is complete or dissolved in water.

Using FDM, Shapeways can create slightly larger models checking in at 91 x 61 x 91cm, with details up to 0.25mm. Want to see the process in action? Shapeways has posted a video on YouTube detailing a 3D creation from start to finish, and it even comes with snazzy music.

Groovy, I Want to Try!

Hey, this is Maximum PC, and if the site could communicate without human mediators, it would say "Do you know who I am? I don't know how to put this, but, I'm kind of a big deal. People know me." That's not lip service folks, and Shapeways has given Maximum PC 250 exclusive invitationss to access the beta site. But hurry - these invites are first come, first served:

Sign up at: http://www.shapeways.com/beta
Beta code: MaximumPC

Image Credits:  Shapeways