Solid Freeform Fabrication Research group

The University of Texas at Austin

Solid freeform fabrication is the name used to describe several processes used to manufacture parts. What links them all together is that they are all additive.

Click here to go to our Solid Freeform Fabrication Lab home page.

What's new !

• video1 (500K mpeg) A video microscopy movie of steel powder being scanned by a laser beam.
• image1 A frame captured from video1.
• video2 (394K mpeg) Another video microscopy movie of steel powder being scanned by a laser beam.
• image2 A frame captured from video2.
• iskin1 (10X magnification) A high density surface skin layer.
• iskin2 (7X magnification) Another high density surface skin layer.

Two processes we are researching are

• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) , which involves using a laser to sinter a thin layer of powder into a cross-section of a part. The sintered section is placed under another layer of powder so that the section above becomes attached to it when the laser sinters it.
• Gas Phase Deposition , which uses a laser to force particle precipitation from a gas flowing above a surface.

Usage of the Solid Freeform Fabrication server is kept track of through usage statistics.

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