Development of a High-Velocity Compaction process for polymer powders

The High-Velocity Compaction (HVC) process for powder polymers has been studied, with a focus on the compactibility characteristics and surface morphology of the compacted materials, with and without relaxation assists, by increasing compacting quantity and direction. The basic phenomena associated with HVC are explained and the general energy principle is introduced to explain pull-out phenomena during the decompacting stage. Polyamide-11 powders with different particle size distributions have been compacted with the application of different compaction profiles, e.g. different energies and velocities. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image computer board camera, (IC-PCI Imaging Technology) have been used to the study the morphological characteristics, the limit of plastic deformation and particle bonding by plastic flow at contact points, and pull-out phenomena. The relative green density is influenced more by the pre-compacting (primary compaction step) than by the post-compacting (secondary compaction step). The pressure and density distribution differences between the upper and lower surface are not uniform. Projectile supports or 'relaxation assists' are presented as a new technique to reduce pull-out phenomenon. Experimental results for different compaction profiles are presented showing the effect of varying the opposite velocity during the decompacting stage, and how to improve the homogeneous densification between the upper and lower surface and the evenness of the upper surface of the compacted powder bed by using relaxation assists. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.