Major Patent expired yesterday - SLS (Metal Printing)

One of the central patents controlling a specific type of 3D Printer technology has expired yesterday.

This is the news the 3D printing community has been waiting for.
This could be the start of a second wave of the 3D printing craze.

Selective Sintering Patent has expired - This means Metal Printing could one day become possible for the masses.

SLS machines use a high-powered laser to fuse small particles of material together.

One day we might see a RepRap printing metal (other than solder).

Patent Info: https://www.google.com/patents/US5597589

Time to go buy some high powered lasers!

Hopefully we will see more and more 3D printers coming out that use SLS. Unfortunately only one of the patents have expired. There are still several that prohibit what type of SLS printers can be made. Also I'm not sure how feasible SLS printers are for in home use.

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Originally Posted by Eddie

Also I'm not sure how feasible SLS printers are for in home use.

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I personally question the safety of hectowatt lasers in the household.

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Originally Posted by Compro01

I personally question the safety of hectowatt lasers in the household.

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I agree you have to use a pretty powerful lasers for those machine and who ever is going to produce one better know what they are doing.

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Originally Posted by Compro01

I personally question the safety of hectowatt lasers in the household.

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They certainly need a lot of improvements before I would allow one in my home. Perhaps this is why we haven't seen a laser 3D printer for the home created by 3D Systems. They are the owners of the patent that is expired. They could have been creating one of these printers all along, and they are the largest 3D printing company out there.