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Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is a fabrication process in the Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) family of additive manufacturing. The key advantage to L-PBF over other manufacturing methods is design flexibility. Additional design flexibility, however, has previously come at the cost of reduced material properties. Polyamide 12 (PA12, Nylon 12) is a semicrystalline polymer with thermophysical properties that make it ideal for L-PBF. Although L-PBF PA12 has tensile strength comparable to injection molded PA12, it has substantially reduced ductility. This paper reports on a series of post-processing treatment for L-PBF of PA12 and measures their impact on strength, ductility, and density. These include annealing, cooling, and pressure treatments. The treatments resulted in PA12 parts with a wide range of properties, which could be tailored according to end-use application with up to 11% increase in strength or 19% increase in ductility.

No abstract