Emerging additive manufacturing technologies are enabling the design of engineered parts with complex geometries and mechanical capabilities. Polymer powder bed fusion (PBF) printing is a promising process that is becoming more economically accessible while providing capabilities for printing non-assembly mechanisms. These processes could enable the automated design of complex personalized biomedical designs, such as prosthetics with integrated lattices, springs, and joints. However, manufacturing constraints and mechanical capabilities of these 3D printed designs requires further investigation to determine their feasibility and capabilities. Here, we conduct dimensional characterization and mechanical testing of Nylon 11 printed parts. Minimum fabrication constraints were measured to determine the smallest beam size as approximately 0.7 mm with a minimum gap size between beams of 0.35 mm. Mechanical testing demonstrated low anisotropy of parts in compression/tension which led to the testing of mechanical lattices with approximate elastic moduli of 25 MPa to 55 MPa. Helical springs worked in compression with a stiffness of approximately 0.2 N/mm to 16.8 N/mm for 3 mm to 7 mm wire diameters. Minimum printable gap sizes were used to inform the fabrication of a fully functional finger prosthetic with joints working directly after print post-processing, with no assembly required. Overall, these are foundational steps in demonstrating design rules and constraints for automating customized designs from polymer powder bed fusion printing, which offers unique capabilities for diverse and mechanically complex engineering applications.
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