High-Quality Laser Sintering (SLS) Production & Prototypes
Stunning detail. Professional finish. Zero corporate fluff.
Bring your next massive idea to life. We turn complex 3D CAD files into tangible reality, taking you from raw nylon powder to production parts in just days. Think of us as your engineering co-pilot—minus the back-seat driving.
Challenge accepted.
(But should.)
Our Core Focus
Vision & Mission
We build parts that pass inspections and fuel production lines. By mastering process control and cutting the fluff out of customer service, we are engineering a multi-generational manufacturing house. We are here for the long haul, ensuring your supply chain stays bulletproof today and decades from now.
Innovation
Ideas are great; physical parts in hand are better. We fuse advanced manufacturing with speed, turning complex designs into functional reality. From aerospace to medical, we help you iterate faster, bypass traditional bottlenecks, and hit the market before your competition even finishes their paperwork.
Growth
Industrial 3D printing is no longer a novelty; it is scaling globally because it solves real business problems. We leverage that momentum to give you massive design freedom, tighter efficiency, and rapid scalability. Design without boundaries—we will handle the production.
Integrity
Your data and IP stay locked down. Period. We build trust through absolute transparency, consistent quality, and ethical accountability. No surprises, no missed tolerances, and no corporate double-speak.
Collaboration
You bring the engineering challenge; we bring the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) expertise. Together, we push polymer materials to their absolute limits, transforming complex CAD files into rugged, end-use components. Think of us as an extension of your engineering team—just with better hardware.
Our Expertise
Prototyping
Skip the molds and tooling. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) transforms your CAD data straight into a fully functional 3D prototype. It’s fast, precise, and saves your budget for better things.
Production
Layer by layer, our systems build your parts at speeds traditional manufacturing can’t touch. And yes, we use high-powered lasers to do it. Because everything is better with lasers.
Finishing
We haven't met a complex part we couldn't handle—and we've seen some remarkably weird geometry over the years. Whatever your project demands, our range of post-processing techniques will get your parts surface-ready and refined.
High-Performance Materials
We fuse advanced polyamide (nylon) powders to build durable, lightweight parts that actually perform under pressure. Whether you need rugged functionality or complex geometries, our materials deliver.
Expert Guidance
SLS Nylon Materials
Choosing the right Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) material boils down to one thing: what does your part actually need to do? Whether it’s flexing under pressure, enduring high heat, or just looking sharp for a stakeholder presentation, the right nylon powder makes all the difference.
1 NYLON 12 | PA 2201 Our Standard Powder
- Color: White — develops a patina with air exposure, that does not affect its mechanical properties
- Ideal for most applications
- Used for fuel and liquid storage
- Exceptional chemical, fuel, and UV-resistant
- FDA certified (21 CFR §177.15009(b)) food safe, except for alcohol
- Melting point around 325°F
- No porosity with wall thicknesses ›1.5 mm (0.060")
- Can be tumbled, dyed, painted, glued, drilled, tapped, and machined
2 NYLON 12 | PA 615-GS Glass-filled
- Color: Eggshell — slightly creamy white
- Strong and durable
- Excellent dimensional stability
- Popular for tooling applications
- Produces a very heavy part as compared to all the other materials
- Contains a 50% fill of glass beads
1 NYLON 12 | PA 2200 Ultra-white
- Color: Bright White — with a Titanium Dioxide Whitener
- Durable and rugged
- Chemical resistant
- Economical
- Melting point around 325°F
- USP Class VI certified for biocompatibility (non-toxic to human cells)
- Highly workable for secondary operations
- Can be tumbled, dyed, painted, glued, drilled, tapped, and machined
2 NYLON 12 | PA 603-CF Carbon Fiber-filled
- Color: Gray/Black
- High tensile strength
- Suited for applications where a high heat tolerance, strength, and resistance to wear are of paramount importance
- Superior stiffness factor compared to High Performance Nylon 12
- Extreme smoothness when processed with our secondary finishing operations
4 NYLON 12 | PA 606-FR Fire Retardant
- Color: White
- Mechanical properties are similar to standard Nylon 12
- For applications where FAR certification is required (meets FAR 25.853 60 second burn specification)
- Suitable for interiors of aircraft, automotive, and other commercial transportation
- Excellent for laboratory ventilation and air handling
- Parts will exhibit a smooth surface finish and sharp feature detail
3 NYLON 12 | PA 620-MF Mineral Fiber-filled
- Color: Off-white
- Strong and durable — lighter when compared to glass-filled materials
- Good dimensional stability without the brittleness of carbon fiber
- Greater mechanical stability than unfilled materials
6 NYLON 12 | PA 640-GSL Carbon Fiber/Glass-filled
- Color: Dark Grey
- Carbon fiber increases the dimensional stability
- Hollow glass beads add increased durability
- Very lightweight
- Developed for the UAV industry
5 NYLON 12 | ALUMIDE® Metallic Aluminum-filled
- Color: Metallic silver appearance
- High stiffness
- Superior dimensional accuracy
- Good thermal conductivity
- Aluminum powder creates a product that is somewhat brittle — not recommended for structural applications
- Easy post processing via machining, grinding, and milling
- Secondary polishing processes provides a surface with a metallic-looking finish
- WARNING! This product should not be used in any application where contact with foodstuffs would be possible
2 NYLON 11 | PA 840-GSL Carbon Fiber/Glass-filled
- Color: Dark Grey
- Carbon adds dimensional stability
- Hollow glass beads Increase durability over unfilled Nylon 11
- Additional flexibility with Nylon 11-based material
- Very light compared to other materials
- Electrically conductive, due to carbon content
- Specifically developed for the UAV industry
1 NYLON 11 | PA 850 Black
- Color: Black
- For applications that require slightly higher tensile strength at break, along with a higher elongation factor
- All-weather performance, it excels in extreme climates
- High-impact and high-pressure resistance at sub-zero temperatures
- Low coefficient of friction
- Not bio-compatible
Ready to Build?
Let’s talk specifics. Call us at 503-434-8557 or get a quote online today.
Get A QuoteFrom File to Finish: Our 5-Step Process
We don't just hit "print" and hope for the best. Here is exactly how we take your digital concepts and turn them into rugged, real-world parts.
Establish the Goal
What’s the mission? Tell us if you're testing mechanical fit, punishing a functional prototype, or showing off visual appeal. Pinning this down early helps us lock in the perfect material, print settings, and finishes for your specific application.
Prep Your CAD File
Your CAD file is the entire blueprint. If it has a flaw, the print will too. To save you from a structural headache, we provide clear Design Guidelines to ensure your file is perfectly optimized for material behavior, wall thickness, and zero print-failures.
The Engineering Review
Before the lasers fire, our engineering team gets under the hood of your CAD file. We check for tricky geometries and flag potential issues. Once you give the green light, we slice the digital model into microscopic layers just 0.10 to 0.15 mm thick.
Laser Sintering Commences
This is where the magic happens. Our SLS systems heat a bed of specialized nylon powder right up to its melting point. Then, a high-powered laser sweeps across the surface, fusing the particles layer by layer. The bed drops down, a fresh coat of powder is swept over, and the loop repeats at a steady 10 to 15 mm per hour until your part is fully formed.
Post-Processing & Finishing
Once the build chamber cools, your parts are buried inside what looks like a giant cake of unsintered powder. We carefully excavate them, blast away the excess powder, and send them to our post-processing department. From basic bead-blasting to advanced finishing techniques, we refine the surface so it arrives at your door ready to work.
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) FAQ
We want your 3D printing project to succeed just as much as you do. To save you some trial and error, we rounded up the answers to the questions we get asked most about the SLS process, material capabilities, and part design.
1 Is SLS 3D printing only for rapid prototyping?
Not by a long shot. While it’s great for prototyping, SLS is robust enough for end-use production. Case in point: thousands of our SLS parts fly on commercial and defense UAVs every day, racking up over 800,000 flight hours. If it can handle the aerospace industry, it can handle your project.
2 Can I get my SLS parts delivered within 24 hours?
Technically, it's possible. Realistically? We don't recommend counting on it. We have pulled off 24-hour miracles for local orders under exceptional circumstances, but standard precision takes a little longer. Send us your project details, and we’ll give you an honest, accurate turnaround time upfront.
3 What is the official name for Selective Laser Sintering?
It depends on who you ask. The industry prefers "Additive Manufacturing," but you've probably heard it called 3D printing, rapid manufacturing, short-run production, or direct digital manufacturing. Call it whatever you like—we’ll know exactly what you mean.
1 Can you 3D print any CAD design?
Almost any design, but some geometry plays nicer with the powder bed than others. Instead of guessing, just email us your CAD file. A real human engineer will review your design and let you know if there are any red flags before printing starts.
2 Do you offer food-safe 3D printing materials?
Yes. Our PA 2201 Nylon 12 material is FDA-compliant for direct food contact. So, if you are designing food processing components or the world's most over-engineered spatula, you are good to go.
3 Are your SLS materials RoHS compliant?
Yes. Certain materials face restrictions in newer electrical equipment, but our standard powders meet the necessary requirements. For the official paperwork, check out our Statement of Compliance—RoHS and WEEE Directives.
4 Is Northwest Rapid Manufacturing ITAR registered?
We are. We regularly handle defense and aerospace projects, and we can establish formal ITAR compliance agreements whenever your project security requires it.
5 Can I get a biocompatibility certificate for my parts?
Absolutely. We hold an official Biocompatibility Certificate for our PA 2200 Nylon 12. If your project documentation requires a copy, drop us a line at make@nwrapidmfg.com
Ready to build something incredible?
Stop waiting on slow turnarounds and weak prototypes. Join the engineers, innovators, and defense teams who use our SLS printing to turn complex CAD files into flight-ready production parts. Let’s get your project off the ground.
Location
11020 SW Durham Lane
Building F/1
McMinnville, OR 97128
Open Hours
Monday-Friday: 7AM – 4PM
Get in Touch Today!
Whether you're ready to print or just exploring possibilities, reach out—we'd love to hear from you.