AFTE Store - Features Present on Additively Manufactured Polymer Components: Selective Laser Sintering

Additive manufacturing, commonly referred to as “three-dimensional (3D) printing,” “refers to a group of technologies
able to transform virtual objects (digital blueprints) into physical objects through a process of selectively adding and fusing
material in a series of layers, starting from one end of the object to its opposite end.” [1] Additive manufacturing, once
seen as a means for rapid prototyping, is being utilized as a direct fabrication method for tooling and final parts. While
introducing new capabilities for the manufacturing industry, additive manufacturing also offers the potential for criminal use. Since this manufacturing technique can leave surface artifacts which lend themselves to possible source attribution (and thus potential investigative leads), it is becoming increasingly important for intelligence and law enforcement agencies to have the ability to recognize when an an item of forensic interest was made using an additive process. The purpose of this paper is to identify the indicators that may be present on evidentiary items to determine if they are consistent with being produced through an additive process, specifically Selective Laser Sintering (SLS).