{"id":635,"date":"2026-07-15T09:01:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T07:01:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/?p=635"},"modified":"2026-08-19T16:07:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:07:47","slug":"direct-metal-laser-sintering100420174-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.3dnatives.com\/en\/direct-metal-laser-sintering100420174-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Complete Guide to Laser Powder Bed Fusion in 3D Printing"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a group of metal <\/span>additive manufacturing<\/a> methods that use a powder bed and a laser to fuse metal powder together, layer by layer, into a solid part. The best-known example is direct metal laser sintering (DMLS), a <\/span>metal 3D printing<\/a> process trademarked by EOS that remains one of the most widely used names for this technology, even though “LPBF” is now the preferred umbrella term across the industry. In this article, we’ll explore how laser powder bed fusion works, from its history (including where the term DMLS comes from) to its benefits, materials, post-processing steps, and impact on the 3D printing market.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

History and Development of Laser Powder Bed Fusion<\/h2>\n

The origins of laser powder bed fusion date back to the 1990s, when EOS patented its process under the name direct metal laser sintering (DMLS). Meanwhile, in 1995, the Fraunhofer Institute introduced the term SLM (Selective Laser Melting) to designate a very similar technology. Although DMLS and SLM have different origins, and different companies still use one term or the other as a brand distinction, the underlying processes are functionally the same.<\/p>\n

To avoid confusion, the industry now generally refers to this category of technologies as laser powder bed fusion, or LPBF, noting that contrary to what the term “DMLS” might suggest, none of these processes actually involve sintering. They involve the melting<\/strong> of metal particles.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credits: Fraunhofer ILT, Aachen, Germany<\/p><\/div>\n

Th<\/span>e difference between sintering and <\/span>melting is quite simple: melting <\/span>involves the transition from a solid to <\/span>a liquid state thanks to a high <\/span>temperature. Sintering, on the other <\/span>hand, does not allow the metal to melt, <\/span>as the temperature used is not high <\/span>enough. As a result, the powder <\/span>particles are agglomerated together <\/span>rather than fully merged, which can <\/span>leave voids and porosity in the <\/span>finished part. <\/span><\/p>\n

Melting, by contrast, allows <\/span>the liquid metal to fill those gaps, <\/span>which is why LPBF processes are <\/span>generally capable of producing denser, <\/span>higher-strength parts than <\/span>sintering-based methods, without <\/span>additional densification steps. So <\/span>while “DMLS” remains the common name <\/span>for EOS-style LPBF systems, the parts <\/span>it produces are, technically speaking, <\/span>melted rather than sintered, which is <\/span>part of why LPBF parts can achieve <\/span>mechanical properties competitive with <\/span>wrought or machined metal.<\/span><\/p>\n

How Laser Powder Bed Fusion Works<\/h2>\n

The LPBF 3D printing process (including DMLS) works as follows:<\/p>\n