SLS Print Quality & Environmental Policy

By Tomas HeinJuly 21, 2025

At Gelatin Digital, we use Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) to manufacture durable, lightweight components for professional use. This method allows us to create strong, precise parts with minimal material waste—making it a sustainable alternative to injection molding or CNC machining for small-batch production.

SLS printing, however, can ocasionally result in surface variation from print to print. Rather than discard prints with minor imperfections, we apply a thoughtful quality and environmental policy that ensures every unit we ship is functional, long-lasting, and responsibly made.

How We Classify Prints

Each print is carefully inspected and classified into one of three categories:

🟢 GREEN — Standard / Excellent

Clean cosmetic finish.
No visible flaws when mounted or in use.
Meets both our functional and visual quality standards.
These make up the majority of the products we ship.

🟡 YELLOW — Functionally Perfect / Cosmetically Imperfect

May have light surface marks or mild texture irregularities.
Imperfections are either:
- Not visible once the product is mounted, or
- So subtle they don't warrant scrapping the part.
Durability, function, and fit are unaffected.
These units are approved to avoid unnecessary waste and energy consumption.
Roughly 1 in 20 prints.

🔴 RED — Rejected

Clearly visible flaws, such as rough pitting, layer separation, or warping.
May impact function, precision, or long-term use.
These are immediately recycled and never shipped.

Why We Accept Minor Cosmetic Variation

Our goal is to produce parts that work reliably in demanding professional settings, not to mimic injection-molded perfection. Prioritizing sustainability means avoiding the waste that comes from discarding prints with minor visual imperfections.

We believe in honest design: if a part works perfectly and the imperfection is invisible or negligible in use, it shouldn’t be thrown away.