Investigation on polyamide powder properties deterioration and efficient powder recycling in laser sintering

Laser Sintering (LS) with Polyamide 12 (PA12) or Nylon 12 based powders is a widely used technology for rapid prototyping of functional parts. Recently, it has become a very attractive method for rapid manufacturing of bespoke parts and small batches of plastic parts. However, the PA12 powder properties deteriorate during the LS process, which requires new material to be mixed with the recycled one. The paper reports on an experimental study of the PA12 powder properties deterioration in the LS process. The influence of the temperature, time, and the number of exposures on the powder ability to be recycled is investigated. The main aim of this research is to develop a methodology for controlling the input material properties that will ensure good and consistent quality of the fabricated parts and more efficient use of the PA12 based powders in the LS fabrication.