3D Printing Functional Parts with Selective Laser Sintering Sintering is the process of applying heat and/or pressure to fuse bits of metal, ceramic, and other materials into a solid mass. It’s nothing new. Nature has been fusing sedimentary minerals into slate and quartzite for eons, and humans began using similar methods to make bricks and porcelain millennia ago. Today, sintering is used to produce everything from gears and connecting rods to sprockets and bearings. It’s also used to 3D print