Post-processing specialist Spengler launches SLS 3D printing service

French company Spengler, which specializes in post-processing systems for powder bed fusion, has expanded into the services realm, launching an in-house selective laser sintering (SLS) production line. In offering this new service, the company aims to support its customers when their production capacities may not be sufficient.

Spengler is part of a pioneering trajectory in the AM market. Officially founded in 2022 with the express aim of improving post-processing through automation and integration, the company has deeper roots within the AM industry. Its founders Stefano Rebecchi and Alessandro Facchini came into AM in 2012 with backgrounds in electronics, mechanical design, software development, and product management. They co-founded Norge Systems in 2014 and developed the ICE9 SLS printer with the aim of introducing a cost-accessible SLS platform. This solution never attained full commercialization under that name, however, since Norge Systems was acquired by Prodways in 2015. Prodways subsequently introduced the industrial ProMaker P1000, which was based on Norge Systems’ development.

At Prodways, Rebecchi and Facchini continued their work on laser sintering 3D printing before setting out on a new project focused on post-processing solutions for the technology. Since its founding Spengler has been behind a number of automated post-processing solutions for powder-based polymer and metal AM, including highly automated depowdering, sieving, sandblasting, and dyeing systems. Spengler has also developed DCK 01, a fully integrated system that automates all steps, from unpacking and powder recovery to depowdering and blowing.

Now, Spengler is rolling out an SLS 3D printing service, which from the looks of it leverages ProMaker P1000 3D printers. The service will print parts from TPU, PA12, glass-filled PA12, PA11, carbon-filled PA11, PP, and exotic materials—a capability backed by the company’s deep knowledge of the SLS process.

In an announcement to its customers, the company specifies that its service is not intended to be an alternative supplier, but as an extension to their own production capacities. It says: “Many of you already handle your own printing…And we don’t intend to change that, but we’ve realized that situations often arise where even well-equipped companies find themselves short on capacity or facing requests outside their standards.”

For example, Spengler hopes its service will help customers bridge gaps in cases where they must deliver large batches in a tight deadline, work with materials not supported on their printers, or meet spikes in demand for SLS parts without disrupting existing production schedules.