Case Study: C.ideas, Inc. achieves unprecedented precision, surface quality and speed with 3D Systems' SLS 3D printers

Selective Laser Sintering Delivers Precision, Quality and Increased Speed

C.ideas, Inc., a 14-year prototyping service bureau known for expertise in SLA, MJM and Projet technologies and full finishing services, faced growing demand for laser sintering (LS) production that its outsourced partners couldn’t reliably meet. Owner Mike Littrell needed an SLS system that was easy for staff to run and capable of producing complex geometries that other bureaus had flagged as impossible.

C.ideas invested in 3D Systems’ SLS industrial printer and its user-friendly front-end software, which delivered faster builds, exceptional surface finish, and fine feature detail with minimal post-processing. The machine produced parts previously thought unbuildable, proved more cost- and time-efficient than FDM in many cases, and positioned the company to operate as a hybrid SLS/FDM shop with significantly improved speed and quality.

Cideas

Mike Littrell

President and Owner