SLS 3D printing is slightly different from the likes of FDM and PLA. Rather than using filament and support material, it works by using a Nylon polymer powder called polyamide 12 or PA 12. The powder is placed into a build chamber, then through a manufacturing process called powder bed fusion, the print begins to take shape. A high-powered carbon dioxide laser heats specific areas across the PA 12 powder. The thermoplastic is fused together layer by layer, each new layer of powder bonding with the last. Finally, the product is dug out from the supporting powder resulting in a finished robust 3D print.