Titanium Ti-6Al-4V
AEROSPACEThe reference SLM alloy: high specific strength, excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatible. The default for robot joints, aerospace brackets and medical instruments.
900–1100 MPa4.43 g/cm³Biocompatible
SERVICE · SLM METAL
SLM Metal Printing — Fully Dense Metal Parts, Not Metal-Looking Parts
Selective laser melting fuses metal powder into a solid part with mechanical properties comparable to wrought material. It is how you get internal cooling channels, organic load-path structures and consolidated assemblies that machining and casting simply cannot produce.
≥99.5%Relative density
±0.2 mmTypical tolerance
30 µmTypical layer height
7–10 daysTypical lead time
OVERVIEW
What SLM actually does
A fine metal powder — typically 15 to 45 µm — is spread across a build plate inside a sealed chamber filled with inert gas. A high-power fibre laser melts the cross-section of your part, fusing the powder into solid metal. The plate lowers by one layer, fresh powder is spread, and the laser melts the next slice. Layers are 20 to 50 µm thick, so a 50 mm tall part is well over a thousand welding passes.
Because the material is melted rather than sintered, the result is a fully dense metal part — we hold relative density at or above 99.5 %. Tensile strength, yield and hardness land in the same range as the wrought alloy, and in some alloys the fine, rapidly solidified grain structure is actually better than cast.
The design freedom is the real point. Internal conformal cooling channels follow the shape of a mould cavity. A bracket can be topology-optimised down to the minimum material that carries the load. An assembly of nine machined parts becomes one printed part with no joints to leak or fasteners to work loose. Support structures are still needed for overhangs, and they must be cut off and dressed — this is the main reason metal printing costs more than polymer printing.
CAPABILITIES
Capability & Tolerance Window
These are the numbers we hold on a calibrated industrial line. Tighter values are often possible on specific features — ask our engineers before you design to a hard limit.
Build envelopeUp to 250 × 250 × 325 mm. Larger parts are printed in sections and welded, then re-machined on the joint.
Layer thickness20 – 50 µm (30 µm typical)
Dimensional tolerance±0.2 mm as standard; ±0.1 mm on selected features after machining
Relative density≥ 99.5 %
Minimum wall thickness0.4 mm
Minimum internal channel0.5 mm diameter, with a clear powder evacuation path
Surface roughnessRa 6 – 12 µm as-built; Ra 1.6 µm or better after machining
MaterialsTi-6Al-4V, 316L stainless steel, AlSi10Mg, copper. Inconel and CoCr on request.
Heat treatmentStress relief as standard; HIP and full heat treatment available
Lead time7 – 10 business days after file approval
MATERIALS
Materials for SLM metal printing
Every material below is stocked and qualified on our lines.
Stainless Steel 316L
CORROSIONTough, ductile and highly corrosion resistant, including in marine and chloride environments. Good for manifolds, food-adjacent hardware and general industrial parts.
480–620 MPa7.9 g/cm³Marine grade
Aluminium AlSi10Mg
LIGHTWEIGHTLow density with useful strength and excellent thermal conductivity. The choice for weight-critical brackets, housings and heat sinks in automotive and drones.
330–400 MPa2.67 g/cm³Thermal
Pure Copper
CONDUCTIVEHigh electrical and thermal conductivity for inductors, busbars, heat sinks and RF components. Dense copper printing is a specialist capability — send us the geometry early.
~90–100 % IACS8.9 g/cm³Thermal & RF
Need a material that is not listed? Titanium, stainless steel, aluminium, copper and nylon powders are also supplied in bulk for your own production — .
FINISHING
Post-Processing & Finishing
How a part leaves the machine is not how it arrives with you. Choose the finish your application actually needs.
Support removal
Supports are cut off the plate and hand-dressed. Witness marks remain on downward-facing surfaces, so we plan orientation to keep them off functional faces.
Stress relief
A controlled thermal cycle relaxes the residual stresses that build up during melting — this is what stops thin or large flat sections from distorting.
HIP & heat treatment
Hot isostatic pressing closes any residual porosity for fatigue-critical parts; ageing and solution treatment tune the alloy to its target properties.
CNC machining
Mating faces, bores, bearing seats and threads are machined after printing, because printed surfaces cannot hold a bearing fit or a thread reliably.
Wire EDM
Parts printed on a solid base plate are cut free by wire EDM, which leaves a clean, flat witness face.
Bead blasting & shot peening
Uniform matte finish; shot peening additionally induces compressive stress at the surface to improve fatigue life.
Polishing
Progressive polishing to a mirror finish for visible or flow-critical surfaces.
Anodising & passivation
Anodising for aluminium, passivation and electro-polishing for stainless steel.
These are the finishing routes we run for SLM metal printing. See the full post-processing service — every finish we offer across SLA, SLS and SLM, and which of them your material will actually take.
BEST-FIT APPLICATIONS
Where SLM metal printing Fits Best
SLM earns its price where the geometry or the material is doing something the conventional route cannot. These are the applications where it pays off.
Strengths
- Fully dense metal with near-wrought mechanical properties
- Internal channels and conformal cooling that no other process can make
- Topology-optimised structures — remove every gram that is not carrying load
- Part consolidation: many machined components become one printed part
- Biocompatible titanium for instruments and non-implant devices
- No tooling, so one-off and low-volume metal parts become viable
- Complexity is essentially free — the cost driver is volume, not shape
Limits to know
- The highest cost per part of the three processes we run
- Supports are always required and leave witness marks
- Build envelope limits part size; large parts need splitting and welding
- As-built surface is rough and usually needs machining where it matters
- Threads, bearing fits and sealing faces should be machined, not printed
- Thin or large flat sections carry a real distortion risk without stress relief
- Because the metal is expensive and the machine runs slowly, lead times are measured in days, not hours
Humanoid robot joints and actuator housings
A strategic focus for LASEM. Load-bearing joint housings and frames that combine strength, low weight and integrated cable and sensor routing — printed as one part instead of machined from several.
Aerospace and drone brackets
Topology-optimised brackets that carry the same load at a fraction of the mass of a machined equivalent, with no joints or fasteners.
Conformal-cooled mould inserts
Cooling channels that follow the cavity contour instead of being drilled in straight lines, cutting cycle time and eliminating hot spots and warpage.
Heat exchangers and cold plates
High surface-area internal geometries for electronics cooling and thermal management, in aluminium or copper.
Copper inductors and busbars
High-conductivity copper parts with complex three-dimensional geometry for induction heating, RF and high-current applications.
Surgical instruments and orthopaedic devices
Biocompatible titanium instruments, guides and non-implant devices with weight-saving internal structure.
Motorsport and EV components
Lightweight structural and thermal parts for teams working outside the OEM tooling cycle, where a redesign can be printed in days.
Valve bodies and manifolds
Consolidated fluid manifolds that replace a brazed assembly of tubes and fittings, removing every joint as a potential leak path.
PROCESS COMPARISON
How SLM metal printing Compares
Choosing a process is a trade-off between detail, strength and cost. Here is the honest version.
| Process | Density / strength | Internal channels | Unit cost | Best used when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLA resin | Polymer, low strength | Possible, no supports | Low | Surface and detail matter most |
| SLS nylon | Tough polymer | Possible, no supports | Low–medium | Functional plastic parts, complex geometry |
| SLM metal | Fully dense metal | Yes, 0.5 mm+ | High | You need real metal, internal cooling or minimum weight |
| CNC machining | Wrought metal | Straight drilled only | High for 1-offs | Simple geometry, tight tolerance, fast |
Not sure which one you need? — we will tell you when a cheaper process will do the job.
FAQ
SLM metal printing — Common Questions
Are SLM parts really as strong as machined metal?
For most static applications, yes — tensile, yield and hardness come out in the wrought range, and we hold ≥99.5 % density. Where machined stock still wins is fatigue-critical parts and anywhere you need the directional grain of rolled or forged material. Tell us if that applies and we will say so.
Can you print internal cooling channels?
Yes, and this is where SLM is genuinely superior. We can build channels down to about 0.5 mm diameter that follow a curved surface. The constraint is that un-melted powder has to be evacuated, so a channel must be reachable — a sealed internal void cannot be cleared.
Why are threads not printed?
Printed threads are rough, have poor tolerances and strip easily. Standard practice is to print a pilot or a boss and cut the thread afterwards, or install a threaded insert. It costs a little more and works reliably.
How large a metal part can you print?
Up to about 250 × 250 × 325 mm in one piece. Beyond that we print in sections and weld, then re-machine the joint — this is routine for large tooling and industrial parts.
What surface finish should I expect as-built?
Rough — around Ra 6–12 µm, visibly granular, because the part is made of partially melted powder particles. Where it matters, we machine, blast or polish afterwards.
Which metal should I choose?
Titanium when you need strength per gram or biocompatibility. 316L for corrosion resistance and ductility. AlSi10Mg for the lightest part with good thermal conductivity. Copper only when conductivity is the whole point, because it is the hardest of the four to print well.
SELECTED WORK
Parts We Print With This Process
A sample of the part types we run on this process.
Aerospace & Turbines
Conformal Cooling
Tooling & Fixtures
More part examples are being published. See the full parts gallery.
Related reading
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