Microstructural origin of physical and mechanical properties of polyamide 12 processed by laser sintering

S. Dupin (1) , O. Lame (2) , C. Barrès (3) , J.-Y. Charmeau

1 UMR ITAP - Information – Technologies – Analyse Environnementale – Procédés Agricoles
2 MATEIS - Matériaux, ingénierie et science [Villeurbanne]
3 Unité de neurocardiologie : physiopathologie des troubles du rythme cardiaque

The microstructure and properties of plastic parts made by laser sintering are known to be affected by a number of process and material parameters, whose influences are not totally elucidated yet. This study addresses the influence of the energy supplied to the powder on the microstructure and on the physical properties of sintered parts. Two different polyamide 12 powders were used. The energy density, which is derived from the laser characteristics, was shown to have a great impact on the residual porosity and on the amount of nascent particles in parts. The study of the pore size and of the porosity distribution was carried out by X-ray tomography. It is shown that the particles size distribution and the crystallisation temperature are the key parameters in the porosity formation. Finally, the influence of the microstructure and crystalline features on the mechanical properties of sintered parts is discussed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mots clés: Crystallinities; Energy density; Key parameters; Crystalline feature; Laser characteristics; Laser sintering; Material parameter; X-ray tomography; Sintered parts; Residual porosity; Laser heating; Imaging systems; Micro-structural; Microstructure and properties; Particles size distribution; Physical and mechanical properties; Poly-amide 12; Porosity distributions; Porosity formation; Mechanical properties; Plastic parts; Porosity; Microstructure

Domaines: Matériaux

S. Dupin, O. Lame, C. Barrès, J.-Y. Charmeau. Microstructural origin of physical and mechanical properties of polyamide 12 processed by laser sintering. European Polymer Journal, 2012, 48 (9), pp.1611-1621. ⟨10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2012.06.007⟩. ⟨hal-01834920⟩