My only experience is on plastic 3d printed parts and this works...but I need high pressure coolant to flow thru here, so I need it made out of metal......

Does anyone with experience know if horizontal thru hole work on metal sintering printing without supports?

https://imgur.com/GkBDdFF

Hey everyone,

Since I work in prototyping, I handle a wide variety of different materials on a daily basis. I’ve always found it frustrating that there isn't a single, well-organized platform that offers a proper cross-manufacturer material database. That’s why I started building Hexasheets as a side project.

The site is still a work in progress, but I’ve reached a point where I would love to get some early feedback from the community.

What’s in it so far?

• Free Material Database: This is the core feature. I currently have around 100 AM materials and their datasheets integrated (based on manufacturer data). The goal is a clean UI with highly effective filtering options to make finding the right specs across different brands as easy as possible.
• Property Comparison: You can easily compare the properties of different materials side-by-side.
• The MaterialMatcher (AI): I actually built this feature to solve a specific problem from my day job. I work a lot with development teams who want their AM prototypes to have the exact same properties as, for example, injection-molded production parts. Since we typically don't use the exact same materials in 3D printing as we do in injection molding, I built an AI-based MaterialMatcher. You can upload the specs (datasheet) of an injection molding material, and the AI will read the datasheet and find the best AM material in the database that most closely matches its properties.

Transparency on Pricing I want to be upfront: the material database itself will always remain free. However, because hosting and AI API costs add up, advanced features like the MaterialMatcher will likely be part of a Pro subscription model in the future just to help me cover the bills.

I need your input! I’m continuously adding new features, but I want to build what you actually need.

• What do you think of the filters and the UI?
• Are there any specific features missing that would help you out?
• Any general ideas on what else I should implement?

Want to test the AI Matcher? Because the MaterialMatcher requires some computing power, it’s not publicly unlocked yet. But if you are interested in testing it out, activate it in the Userprofile, send me an email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or send me a DM, and I will gladly unlock it for your account!

Here is the link: https://hexasheets.com

Looking forward to your honest feedback!

Considering indirect tooling operations... How much have the costs and lead times reduced for producing a part now that molds, master plugs and prototyping can be made/done through additive manufacturing?

I did some work in making molds for some parts which weren't complying with the quality requirements when done through fff and sla... At the time I got the required accuracy using resin casting by making tooling vis sla.

Would appreciate comments from people working in the industry with regards to the same and maybe give us an insight on now vs 5 or 10 years ago.

Hi there, anyone has experience owning or from reserach during their purchasing process on the pros and cons of these both brands?

What would be chinese alternatives to look for in case they are relevant competitors?

The requirements are quite vague for us as we are taking advantage of a government grant so when it comes to size, materials etc. it's quite open to fit what we like best. We want to prioritize reliability and ease of use as well as a good support and service plan.

A Titanium ring that I printed on one of the LPBF metal 3D printers at my company a while ago. We decided to leave the outer surface a raw as-printed finish (with a little etching to brighten it), while the inside was machined and sanded down for a smooth fit. We mostly print industrial tooling/fixturing on these machines (along with the occasional automotive intake manifold or other customer part), so printing jewelry is an interesting change of pace.

I hate how fragmented and gate kept knowledge around additive manufacturing is. I'm hoping to build a cool community of engineerings, manufacturers and power users who are interested in learning and sharing knowledge in a casual, real time environment on Discord.

If you're interested in building a community with me, join me on Discord: https://discord.gg/T2KgFvuEvg

I'm looking to outsource a SLA print to Xometry for producing a miniature wheel requiring a wall thickness of 0.6mm. Websites say that SLA can easily achieve thin wall thicknesses, but I'm not really sure 😭. Also is Formlabs clear a very good material for a smooth print and good strength?

Thanks for the help!!

Hi everyone, I'm not from the scene myself, but I noticed a pretty drastic increase in Google search interest for AM from June through September 2025. Any idea what might have caused this? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Anybody have any experience with this hotend? I'm building a high temp industrial printer from scratch and I want the best hotend I can get. I reached out to these guys a few days ago buy they haven't got back to me yet. The other hotend I'm looking at is a Slice Engineering Mosquito Magnum+. Are there any other hotends I should consider? I'm going to be printing CF-PEEK/PEKK primarily so I'm looking for 500°C and liquid cooled, or conduction so I can mount it to a chiller of my own design.

Hey all, I'm an Additive Manufacturing Engineer (FDM/SLA/SLS) looking for new opportunities. Experienced in DfAM, process optimization, and print troubleshooting.

If your company's hiring or you can point me toward a referral in India , I'd really appreciate it! Happy to DM my resume. Thanks in advance 🙏

Hi there, the topic on SLS vs MJF seems to be alive again on the industry press.

I was an SLS operator back in the day. I am just wondering if from a technical and part properties perspective the MJF process is superior from every point of view or not.

I understand the caveats of prices, service contracts, material availability etc. that comes with each brand, printer model or even distrubutor/location.

Leaving those aside, I am just looking at process/part property. What's the "scientific" take here?

This all comes from a discussion with another operator but neither of us are proper materials/process experts. Please school us as required.

I understand the following on MJF:

- MJF process uses IR heat rather than laser so fusion is more controlled, hence better part performance
- MJF process with detailing agent marks the part boundaries, hence a bit more precise
- MJF process is the same speed each layer regardless of build density or part geometry
- Claims cooling is faster?
- Most powders are grey and parts look a bit "unfinished"

On SLS:
- Laser induces thermal bleed and local heat accumulation.
- Lasers scan have to travel to "draw" the geometries to be fused, more density build equals longer print times
- There are SLS with grey/black parts as well as white parts, parts may look more well finished.

On SAF:
- Is it just like the MJF process with only one agent for thermal absorbtion? Then the better dimensional accuracy and part properties achieved due to the "detailing agent" of MJF are lost here?

If you have all the money and no preference in brand and the technologies came in the same build volumes, when would one use SLS compared to MJF?

I understand that in the real world pricing, build volumes, machine sizes, powder management etc. all influence the purchasing decision. But if we were to be in a lab just looking at the technology itself how would that conversation go?

Thanks.

Hi everyone, I'm an Additive Manufacturing Engineer with hands-on experience in FDM, SLA, and SLS. My background includes DfAM, process optimization, and print troubleshooting.

If anyone knows of openings or could refer me at their company (based in India), I'd genuinely appreciate it. Happy to share my resume over DM. Thanks so much 🙏

I just got hired as an AM technician and got offered a salaried role of 23.50 an hour. I've been there a few weeks and just received my second paycheck which was missing 10 hours of OT from staying late for trainings and helping turnaround our SLM printers.

I contacted the finance department and they said "you are salaried any overtime would have to be approved by your boss before you work the hours to be payed". My boss is dragging his feet sending the email explaining that I need to be payed at least "straight time".

From my understanding AM technician roles are classified as blue collar and are required to be compensated by time and a half, the other 2 techs I work with have also not been payed overtime (they were the ones who brought the FLSA laws to my attention).

I really like this job but I'm naive and have minimal work experience with government contracts, can anyone weigh in on if this is fishy or not?

I work in an at will state if that matters.

Edit: I submitted a ticket with the DOL to have them inform me of my rights and resources available to me in my state. Thanks for the advice guys.

I'm going to refrain from lawyers for now because I don't want to escalate things too much, my employer is very connected and they would hear about it.

I’ve gotten some insightful and informative feedback thus far. I’m looking to get a feel for what folks in manufacturing spaces are actually looking for out of a SLM machine right now, if a new machine were being introduced to the market. Whether you're running production, prototyping, or developing custom hardware, I'd love to know what boxes a machine needs to tick to actually fit your workflow and budget.

I want to leave this fairly open-ended, but here are a few specific points to kick off the discussion:

Build Volume: What is your sweet spot? Is a 300^3 or 400^3 build volume necessary for the parts you're eyeing, or are you constrained more by machine footprint and powder costs than build envelope?

Budget & Format: Where is the realistic price ceiling for a machine like this in your shop? If a machine hit the $20k to $40k range, would you be willing to look at a high-quality kit format to save on upfront capital, or is a fully assembled, turnkey system a better fit?

Material & Laser Flexibility: Are you looking for a dedicated single-material workhorse (e.g., just Stainless or Aluminum), or is open-parameter architecture a must-have for experimenting and prototyping?

Infrastructure & Safety: What are your biggest hurdles regarding facility integration? Power, footprint, air quality?
What are the biggest pain points keeping you from bringing metal 3D printing in-house right now? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Shop just outgrew our whiteboard print queue. Running 8 mixed FDM/SLA machines and jobs keep colliding (recently it was 5 but I scaled and now its tough).

What’s your solutions for 3d printer queue management I heard about 3DPrinterOS in other sub and want to doublecheck if it's ok. What are you useing and why?

Anyone read this report on Velo?

Curious is people have experiences to corroborate or denounce the claims in the article.

I work at an aerospace manufacturing shop specializing in LPBF metal printing for rotating detonation rocket engines. With guidance from propulsion engineers, I designed, printed, and post-processed my very own solid rocket motor from scratch.

If you want to see a CATO up close and personal, and learn what goes into metal additive manufacturing along the way, check out my trailer and subscribe. The first full video is coming soon.

An air intake that my company 3D printed for a customer from PPS-CF. It is roughly 350mm long and a little under 600g. I absolutely love the look of PPS-CF after annealing, the surface finish is absolutely gorgeous.

Reaching out to the industrial redditors here… I have a giant container of nylon powder (about 800 KG) that I need to transfer into smaller containers - and I’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations. I know that powder ‘pumps’ do exist (we have a transitube system) but I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with or can recommend any kind of mobile powder pumps. Would also be useful in other ways in the lab to have something like that.

I’m running 6 3D printers at home for weekend projects, parts for friends, some random stuff for sale etc. Right now I’m struggling with SD cards and notes so its gets annoying. I heard that there are options allowing you to manage a network of 3D printers from different manufacturers as a single system, but I haven’t been able to find anything on the subject lol. And, to be honest, I don’t know if that’s possible or just cheap marketing. Can you give me an advice how to act? Using Bambu mini and Neptune.

updated: picked 3dPrinterOS

So guys, I’m sure many of you in the industry are already familiar with gyroid and other TPMs structure.
But does anyone have some experience with Adaptive Density Minimal Surfaces (ADMS)
It’s a special geometry by a Swiss company which is surface conformal and does not need any trimming, leaving no sharp edges inside of the structure.
If not using ADMS, what do you mainly use for your internal structure?