From polymer to powder: investigating the additive manufacturing recycling process
Understanding the effects of recycling on polymer powder bed fusion processes using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and automated image analysis
contributed by Malvern Panalytical |
Abstract:
A better understanding of how key material characteristics affect powder reusability is vital. This application note looks at how size exclusion chromatography, which determines the macromolecular characteristics of the feed material, and automated image analysis, which provides morphological information for the particles, can provide valuable insights to processability in Selective Laser Sintering.
Summary:
The size and shape of metal powder particles affect powder bed packing and flowability. In turn, these features impact the build quality and final properties of components manufactured using AM. As such, understanding and optimizing particle size and shape is critical to the success of powder-bed AM. Laser diffraction and automated image analysis are complementary tools that can be used to characterize and optimize metal powders for a range of powder-bed AM processes.
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