Selective Laser Sintering of Calcium Polyphosphate: Finite Element Modeling and Experiments

In this paper, the selective laser sintering (SLS) process of a bio-composite blend comprising of biodegradable calcium polyphosphate (CPP) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), as a polymeric binder, is investigated. A multi-physics finite element model including both thermal and viscous sintering phenomena was developed and simulated in different process conditions. The model was used to predict temperature and porosity distribution of sintered regions throughout the process domain and period. It is observed that the porosity of the sintered region is a logistic function of the laser scanning speed and a negative logistic function of the laser power. The thickness of the fabricated CPP layers, using an experimental setup, fairly demonstrates an agreement with the simulation.