Selective Laser Melting

Manufacturing enterprises in highwage countries such as Germany are increasingly being exposed to global competition. These enterprises are confronted by an increasing demand for individualized, high quality as well as low‐cost products [1]. Additive manufacturing methods have accelerated their technological capability in the last few years and provide great potential to fulfill these challenges. The most common additive manufacturing method is called Selective Laser Melting (SLM), developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT [2].