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Choosing a powder process

SLS vs HP MJF

Both fuse nylon powder, both need no support structures, and both give you near-isotropic parts. They are not the same process, and the difference shows up in fine features, surface and how a batch behaves. We build an SLS machine and run MJF as a service, so this comparison has no side to take.

See the ComparisonGet a Quote
SLS ± 0.3 %MJF 0.08 mm layersNo supports either wayBoth on our floor
Nylon parts recovered from an SLS powder cake
One sentence each

What Each One Does

SLS — a laser sinters the powder

A laser traces each layer into a bed of nylon powder and fuses it. The unfused powder supports the part, so there are no supports to remove and geometry stops being a constraint. Published accuracy ± 0.3 %, 0.1 mm layers, 0.7 mm minimum wall.

MJF — an agent, then heat

A print head lays a fusing agent where the part should be and a heat source fuses the whole layer at once. 0.08 mm layers and a 0.5 mm minimum wall, with a fine matte finish and very even properties across a batch.

Side by side

The Comparison Table

SLSHP MJF
Dimensional accuracy± 0.3 %Fine features, even properties
Layer thickness0.1 mm0.08 mm
Minimum wall0.7 mm0.5 mm
Surface as madeUniform matte, granularFine matte, light grey
Support structuresNoneNone
Strength directionNear-isotropicNear-isotropic
MaterialNylon 12Nylon 12
Best atOne-offs and complex single partsBatches of small parts with fine detail
Choosing

How to Decide

Fine features decide it

If the part has 0.5–0.7 mm walls, thin ribs or small text, MJF holds them where SLS is at its limit.

Batch size decides it

MJF fuses a whole layer at a time, so a full build of small parts is where it earns its place. For one large complex part, SLS is usually the better fit.

Either beats FDM for geometry

Neither needs supports, and both give near-isotropic strength. If your part is failing along layer lines in FDM, both of these fix that.

Questions

SLS and MJF Questions

Which is stronger, SLS or MJF?
Both are near-isotropic nylon 12, which is the important part — neither has the weak cross-layer direction that FDM parts have. For most engineering purposes they are close enough that geometry, finish and batch economics should decide, not strength.
Do either of them need support structures?
No. In both, the surrounding powder holds the part up. That is the real reason to choose a powder process: internal channels, lattices and enclosed features that would be impossible or ugly in FDM come out clean.
Which is cheaper?
Prices are quoted per job rather than published as a list — part geometry, material and finish move the number far more than any table can show. Send the file and the quote comes back with the figure. The structural difference is that MJF fuses a whole layer at a time, so it rewards a full build of parts, while SLS is often the better answer for a single large or complex part. Send the geometry and the quantity and we will quote both where both make sense.
What surface finish do I get?
SLS comes off uniform matte and slightly granular; MJF is a finer matte in light grey. Both can be dyed, and both can be smoothed or finished further — see our finishing and assembly service.
Can I buy an SLS machine rather than order parts?
Yes — Apollo is our SLS system. If you are printing nylon often enough that outsourcing is the bottleneck, ask us about the machine as well as the service.
Go deeper

The Processes in Full

Send the Part and We Will Pick

We run both. Tell us the geometry and the quantity and we will tell you which process your part actually wants.

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