Independent metal AM
LPBF vs DMLS vs SLM: what actually differs (and where EBM fits)
Short answer: for metal, LPBF, DMLS and SLM are three names for the same laser powder bed fusion family. The differences are naming history, not physics. Electron-beam machines are the genuinely different process.
One process, three names
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is the standards-preferred term: ISO/ASTM 52900 classifies the family as powder bed fusion with a laser energy source (PBF-LB). DMLS — Direct Metal Laser Sintering — is the oldest commercial name, from the mid-1990s, and despite the word “sintering” modern DMLS machines fully melt most alloys. SLM — Selective Laser Melting — arrived slightly later and emphasised complete melting over sintering. All three describe machines that spread a thin layer of metal powder and selectively fuse it with a laser, layer by layer.
Why the names matter when you buy
Because the names are brand legacy, a vendor calling their machine DMLS or SLM is describing an LPBF machine. Compare the actual published evidence — build envelope, laser configuration, feedstock and machine status — rather than the label. Our machine library keeps every platform under one verified record regardless of which name its manufacturer prefers.
Where EBM genuinely differs
Electron-beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB, originally commercialised by Arcam) is a different process, not a different name: the energy source is an electron beam, the chamber is under vacuum, and the powder bed is held at elevated temperature. That enables highly conductive builds and crack-prone alloys but brings a narrower alloy portfolio, different support and powder-recycling practice, and different machine economics. If a comparison page treats EBM and LPBF as interchangeable, it is wrong.
Do not confuse SLS
Selective laser sintering (SLS) usually refers to polymer powder bed fusion. If the material is nylon, the machine is not a metal AM platform, however similar the acronym looks in a search result.
Compare machines, not names
Once the naming is settled, the comparison is ordinary machine selection: verified envelope, laser configuration, feedstock, machine status and the ownership math. Our machine-to-machine comparisons apply the same evidence rules to curated pairs.