Polymer Blends for Selective Laser Sintering: Material and Process Requirements

If material systems, consisting of at least two different components, are processed by powder- and beam-based additive manufacturing techniques, this could allow manufacturing of products with graded and tailored properties. To provide for process-secure production, the employed materials need to fulfil certain requirements. This article looks into the manufacturing and analysis of components made from polymer blends by means of powder- and beam- based additive manufacturing techniques. The test specimens were generated at varied laser power and consist of an immiscible PP/PA12 blend. Their thermal and mechanical properties were examined, in addition to their morphologies. The investigations finally showed that a polymer blend is generally suitable as a material for additive manufacturing.