Selective laser sintering at melting temperature

In a method for manufacturing a molded body, particularly a prototype of a product or component, a tool prototype or spare part, in accordance with three-dimensional CAD data of a model of a molded body by depositing layers of a metallic material in powder form, whereby several layers of the powder are successively deposited one on top of the other, whereby each layer of powder is heated to a specified temperature by means of a focused laser beam applied to a given area corresponding to a selected cross-sectional area of the model of the molded body, before depositing the next layer and where the laser beam is guided over each layer of powder in accordance with the CAD cross-sectional data of the selected cross-sectional area of the model in such a way that each layer of powder is fixed to the layer below, the improvement wherein the metallic material in powder form is applied in the form of a metallic powder free of binding and fluxing agents, wherein it is heated by the laser beam to melting temperature, that the energy of the laser beam is chosen in such a way that the layer of metallic powder is fully molten throughout its layer thickness at the point of impact of said laser beam, wherein the laser beam is guided across the specified area of powder in several runs in such a way that each run of the laser beam partly overlaps the preceding run, and wherein a protective gas atmosphere is maintained above the interaction zone of the laser beam and the metallic powder.