Challenges of material development for Selective Laser Sintering. Coachulting Forum

Transcription

1 Challenges of material development for Selective Laser Sintering Coachulting Forum

2 Agenda About ADVANC3D Materials GmbH Status Quo of SLS Plastic Material Requirements of customers Cornerstones for material development Productportfolio of SLS Powder

3 About us Founded by François Minec in 2015 putting together know how of several companies Focus on plastic raw materials for additive manufacturing (SLS/FDM) Deliver a superior material to be used on wide range of 3d printing machines.

4 Material Selection-Status Quo Current material consumption in SLS: 91% 5% 2% 2% PA12 PA11 TPU Others Mainly used products are based on PA12, then PA12 and sometimes PA12 If you prefer you can also get PA12. Users let some space for PA11, TPU and less than 2% some others (TPE, PP, PS ) This does not correspond to the general plastic market in which PP is one of the most common products and PA only a niche ADVANC3d Materials internal data Basically only one manufacturer.

5 Advantages & Disadvantages of PA 12 Why PA12??? One of the largest processing windows in the market;. Spherical particle shape; Printer compatibility, it was the 1st SLS material -> printers were developed around it; Works well with different additives. Drawbacks Only 50% recycling rate; Limited temperature resistance; Not representative of materials used in most applications; Limited mechanical properties (e.g. in comparison with PA11); Expensive; No differentiation of service between companies.

6 Material Requirements Market requirements Competitive price Wide range of applications Printer compatibility Availability After processing Targeting all and developing an innovative material is a huge challenge : it means a unique solution What are the technical challenges to create it?

7 Material Requirements Technical requirements Theory Practice Thermoplastic powder Polymer nature (PA/TPU/PP ) Surface Thermal stability Specific granulometry Flowability Large processing window Powder recyclability

8 Particle size and Granulometry Each layer build has between 80 and 120 µm depending on the settings chosen. The particles size needs to be smaller than the layer thickness. The granulometric distribution of the powder should be controlled to have a narrow shape. Smooth surface is possible with smaller particle size and the most spherical shape. But: too small particles can be counterproductive. Full control of granulometry and selectivity of size is mandatory for the flow. PSD (Particle Size Distribution) Scan

9 Particle Shape Depending on its nature a polymer powder will be manufacture by chemistry processes (spherical) or by grinding. The particle shape is crucial for the powder flow.

10 Processing window and thermal stability PA12 was the first material to be developed for SLS applications. The machines were optimised around it and it s thermal behaviour. T crystallization = 147,4⁰C and T melting 189,1 ⁰C The space between Tc and Tm is called processing window. The larger the processing window is the better is to SLS materials. DSC Scan (Differential Scan Calorimetry)

11 Processing window of standard polymers PLA PLA Temperature range fits to SLS But: no clear cristallisation temperature PET PET High melting temperature which is not covered by standard printers no clear cristallisation temperature Adaption of the polymere needed to get a material which could work

12 Powder development, an iterative and long term process 4. Lab scale SLS Pilot scale powder manufacturing Recyclability study 3. grinding, powder modification and testing 5. YES/ NO Real scale testing on SLS machines 2. Material preparation 1. Material theoretical check YES/ NO

13 Technical assistance as a source of Knowhow

14 Practical experience to learn more about material and specific behavior Temperature C Material Process Formiga P100 P110 P 380 P 385 P 390 P395 Removal Process Removal Process Removal Process Removal Process Removal Process Removal Process Removal PA PA12 CF ,5 133 PA12 HT PA12 LW PA12 GB PA12 ESD ,5 133 PA12 Black ,5 133 PA11 Nat PA11 CF PA11 ESD PA11 White PA11 Black PA11 GB TPU TPU 90 Black PP EOS P396

15 Wide range of SLS Powder PA11: biobased material with medical and food application PA12: available in natur and black Variations of PA12/PA11: PA12 HT: resistant to high temperatures, nylon based with aluminium PA12/PA11 CF: conductive, nylon based reinforced with carbon fibres PA12/PA11 ESD: dissipative, nylon based reinforced with carbon fibres PA12/PA11 GB 30: reinforced nylon with glas beads PA12 LW: nylon based with hollow glas beads to reduce weight PA12/PA11 FR: UL 94 / mm PP Flex: 50% Elongation TPU: Flexibel, 90 Shore A, no smoke Polysterene (Axalta) PLA (under development)

16 Thank you for your attention QUESTIONS? ANKE JOHANNES B U S I N E S S M A N A G E R A N K E. JOHANNES@ADVANC3DMATERIALS.COM A D V A N C 3 D M A T E R I A L S G M B H I N F A D V A N C 3 D M A T E R I A L S. C O M