Laser Sintering (LS) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) are like the Peyton Manning and Cam Newton of 3D printing—Two of the best quarterbacks in the league, one about ten years older than the other (LS was commercialized in around 1980 and FDM around 1990), and currently both at the top of their game. LS and FDM are often compared because they both deliver similar materials and engineering-grade thermoplastics which give them the ability to serve functional and production manufacturing applications. Even though LS and FDM are equally capable of producing strong, durable parts, their divergent delivery mechanisms make certain geometries and applications better suited for one or the other. Learning the advantages and differences between technologies will help lead you to the best process for your project. Here we compare each technology when it comes to engineering challenges, applications and geometries: Internal Features You’ll see positive results on internal cavities w...