New Details Emerge on the $3,999 Sintratec SLS 3D Printer

Back in August, we reported on Sintratec, a Swiss start-up working on the world’s most affordable consumer selective laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer. It certainly seemed an exciting prospect when Sintratec told us they were aiming for an affordable at-home SLS printing system, priced around $5,000. 

Today they’ve announced further progress, and the news is even better than we could have hoped. Sintratec is getting ready to bring to the world the first desktop SLS 3D printer, and it has a lot to offer.

Images of the final crowdfunding model have been released, and the real thing will be available soon, as a ready-to-assemble kit on crowdfunding site Indiegogo.com. The final model has been updated from previous prototypes, with improvements in its sleek design and the quality of components — and if that’s not enough, they reduced total costs of production. The Sintratec desktop SLS 3D printer will debut on the crowdfunding site starting at $3,999.

Take a minute with that. Back in August, when Norge was the first company reported to be working on a desktop SLS 3D printer, a $13,000 starting tag seemed unbelievable. Keep in mind, SLS 3D printers are often tagged with six- or seven-digit list prices.

Joscha Zeltner, Dominik Solenicki, Christian von Burg, Sintratec’s founders (L-R)

Sintratec has been making impressive strides, and their hard work is really beginning to pay off… literally! The company recently took first prize (out of 250 competitors) for their product and business plan at the Swiss UpStart Challenge 2014. The award not only recognized the team — including founders Joscha Zeltner, Dominik Solenicki, and Christian von Burg — for their strides toward success, but the cash prize allowed them to add to their development efforts prior to their printer’s launch.

Detailed objects printed with Sintratec’s desktop SLS 3D printer

Once the Sintratec 3D printer is up and running on Indiegogo, the team hopes to sell about 50 of the kits. They’re hoping for a November launch, once everything is very transparent and easy to understand on the crowdfunding campaign, so the timing is just around the corner!

The SLS system for Sintratec‘s printer uses a laser beam to selectively sinter powder into 3D forms, and does not require support structures. The desktop unit will print objects in nylon, and can produce both functional prototypes and end products, including designs with moving parts. The small size of the design opens possibilities in production for at-home use and for small businesses; “you can print whatever crazy shapes you imagine,” Sintratec promises.

The Sintratec SLS 3D printer fits on a desktop

Per Sintratec, the crowdfunding model’s technical specifications include:

You can sign up for Sintratec’s newsletter on their website to be informed as soon as the Indiegogo campaign launches.  More details on this machine can be found in the Sintratec forum thread on 3DPB.com.