Dimensional and geometric deviations of parts in PA12 manufactured by selective laser sintering: numerical and experimental analyses

Dimensional and geometric deviations of parts in PA12 manufactured by selective laser sintering: numerical and experimental analyses

Valentina Vendittoli, Achille Gazzerro, Wilma Polini, Luca Sorrentino

download PDF

Abstract. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) uses a laser to sinter powdered polymeric materials, such as Polyamide 12 (PA12). Industrially, it is commonly used as a mixture of virgin and aged powder. The aged powder has undergone various thermal cycles without being sintered. This work aims to evaluate the differences in the dimensional and geometrical deviations of parts in PA12 obtained through SLS by virgin and aged powder. A numerical approach was used to simulate the SLS software to foresee these dimensional deviations as a function of the powder’s physical-chemical properties and the process parameters. The obtained results were validated through an experimental approach. Parallelepiped-shaped specimens were manufactured using an SLS printer and measured with a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The numerical results agree with the experimental ones. It seems that the differences between the dimensional deviations of the

Keywords
Additive Manufacturing, Inspection, Polymer

Published online 9/5/2023, 8 pages
Copyright © 2023 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Valentina Vendittoli, Achille Gazzerro, Wilma Polini, Luca Sorrentino, Dimensional and geometric deviations of parts in PA12 manufactured by selective laser sintering: numerical and experimental analyses, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 35, pp 198-205, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644902714-24

The article was published as article 24 of the book Italian Manufacturing Association Conference

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

References
[1] S. Impey, P. Saxena, K. Salonitis, Selective Laser Sintering induced residual stresses: Precision measurement and prediction, Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing. 5 (2021) 101. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp5030101
[2] A. Awad, F. Fina, A. Goyanes, S. Gaisford, A.W. Basit, 3D printing: Principles and pharmaceutical applications of Selective Laser Sintering, International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 586 (2020) 119594. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119594
[3] L. Wang, A. Kiziltas, D.F. Mielewski, E.C. Lee, D.J. Gardner, Closed-loop recycling of polyamide12 powder from Selective Laser Sintering into sustainable composites, Journal of Cleaner Production. 195 (2018) 765–772. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.235
[4] K. Dotchev, W. Yusoff, Recycling of polyamide 12 based powders in the Laser Sintering Process, Rapid Prototyping Journal. 15 (2009) 192–203. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552540910960299
[5] D.T. Pham, K.D. Dotchev, W.A. Yusoff, Deterioration of polyamide powder properties in the Laser Sintering Process, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science. 222 (2008) 2163–2176. https://doi.org/10.1243/09544062jmes839
[6] A. Wegner, G. Witt, Correlation of process parameters and part properties in laser sintering using response surface modeling, Physics Procedia. 39 (2012) 480–490. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2012.10.064
[7] E.C. Hofland, I. Baran, D.A. Wismeijer, Correlation of process parameters with mechanical properties of laser sintered PA12 parts, Advances in Materials Science and Engineering. 2017 (2017) 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/4953173
[8] A. Wegner, C. Mielicki, T. Grimm, B. Gronhoff, G. Witt, J. Wortberg, Determination of robust material qualities and processing conditions for laser sintering of Polyamide 12, Polymer Engineering & Science. 54 (2013) 1540–1554. https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.23696
[9] T. Czelusniak, F.L. Amorim, Influence of energy density on polyamide 12 processed by SLS: From physical and mechanical properties to microstructural and crystallization evolution, Rapid Prototyping Journal. 27 (2021) 1189–1205. https://doi.org/10.1108/rpj-02-2020-0027
[10] J. Choren, V. Gervasi, T. Herman, S. Kamara, J. Mitchell, SLS powder life study, International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium. (2001).
[11] A. Liebrich, H.-C. Langowski, R. Schreiber, B.R. Pinzer, Effect of thickness and build orientation on the water vapor and oxygen permeation properties of laser-sintered polyamide 12 sheets, Rapid Prototyping Journal. 27 (2021) 1030–1040. https://doi.org/10.1108/rpj-05-2020-0101
[12] P. Chen, M. Tang, W. Zhu, L. Yang, S. Wen, C. Yan, et al., Systematical mechanism of polyamide-12 aging and its micro-structural evolution during Laser Sintering, Polymer Testing. 67 (2018) 370–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2018.03.035
[13] W.A. Yusoff, The application of scanning electron microscope and melt flow index for Orange Peel in Laser Sintering process, Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. 6 (2017) 615. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijeecs.v6.i3.pp615-622
[14] K. Kozlovsky, J. Schiltz, T. Kreider, M. Kumar, S. Schmid, Mechanical properties of reused nylon feedstock for powder-bed additive manufacturing in Orthopedics, Procedia Manufacturing. 26 (2018) 826–833. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.promfg.2018.07.103
[15] K. Wudy, D. Drummer, F. Kühnlein, M. Drexler, Influence of degradation behavior of polyamide 12 powders in laser sintering process on produced parts, AIP Conference Proceedings. (2014). https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4873873
[16] ASTM D 790, Plastics (I). Standard test methods for flexural properties of unreinforced and reinforced plastics and electrical insulating materials, Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials; 2017
[17] Digimat, Hexagon. https://www.mscsoftware.com/it/product/digimat (accessed February 22, 2023)
[18] Sintratec Kit. https://sintratec.com/product/sintratec-kit/ (accessed February 22, 2023)
[19] Gom Inspect software. https://www.gom.com/en/products/gom-suite/gom-inspect-pro (accessed February 22, 2023)
[20] Zeiss Calypso. https://www.zeiss.com/metrology/products/software/calypso-overview/calypso.html (accessed February 22, 2023)
[21] A. Al Rashid, M. Koç, Experimental validation of numerical model for thermomechanical performance of material extrusion additive manufacturing process: Effect of process parameters, Polymers. 14 (2022) 3482. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14173482
[22] M.Q. Shaikh, P. Singh, K.H. Kate, M. Freese, S.V. Atre, Finite element-based simulation of metal fused filament fabrication process: Distortion Prediction and experimental verification, Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance. 30 (2021) 5135–5149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-021-05733-0