The study of characteristics of powders of polymers for 3D printing

One of the biggest challenges is to find ways of recovering the expensive powder. With this aim, we needed to find out what happens with polyamide powder in the chamber of the printer and what processes affect raw materials, thereby impairing the physico-mechanical properties. In order to answer these questions, we conducted a number of studies. Articles of mixtures with a high aspect ratio of the secondary powder lose their properties: their surface is rough, increased fragility, there is a possibility of deformation of details. We carried out studies of the powder based on polyamide-12, applied by JSC "Center of technological competence of additive technologies" of the city of Voronezh, brand PA2200 modified. Material white powder, odourless. An increase in the degree of crystallinity from recycled polymer is considered an anomaly. But the violation of this trend due to the peculiarities of the technology of selective laser sintering. Thus, prolonged exposure of the powder in the chamber at a temperature close to the melting point, followed by a long cooling to room temperature represents the ideal conditions for the growth of crystalline phase. The research was able to identify differences due to deterioration of the physico-chemical properties of the powder after processing. The most important is the agglomeration of particles of the secondary powder in relation to the primary. In this regard, powder, already passed the stage of processing, an increase in the melting temperature, which causes defects in the fabricated parts: as the capacity of the carbon laser melting powder particles is fixed, its energy is not sufficient for the occurrence of the endothermic reaction caused by melting of the secondary powder. Thus, the powder particles only partially fused, whereby the resulting products of the observed increase in fragility.