Grazielle de Oliveira Setti, Marcelo Fernandes de Oliveira, Izaque Alves Maia, Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva, Raluca Savu and Ednan Joanni
The purpose of this paper is to compare the results from mechanical testing with measurements of surface-dependent properties performed on polyamide parts made by selective laser…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare the results from mechanical testing with measurements of surface-dependent properties performed on polyamide parts made by selective laser sintering (SLS) to assess a possible correlation between them.
Design/methodology/approach
Fabrication of Nylon 12 (Duraform PA®) samples using different laser power levels and their characterization by tensile testing, roughness and Raman scattering measurements.
Findings
Among the surface methods investigated, the results from Raman spectroscopy are the best ones, but methods dependent on surface analysis are not really suitable as indicators of the mechanical properties. The correlation coefficients for linear fitting obtained when the normalized results of mechanical properties are plotted against the surface properties are too low. Furthermore, the ambiguity between surface and mechanical data makes it impossible to use these surface properties for prediction purposes in the industrial environment.
Originality/value
Quantitative evaluation and correlation between mechanical properties and surface properties of SLS-made samples.
Details
Keywords
Grazielle de Oliveira Setti, Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva, Marcelo Fernandes de Oliveira, Izaque Alves Maia, Dosil Pereira de Jesus, Raluca Savu, Thebano Emilio de Almeida Santos, Rita de Cássia Zacardi de Souza and Ednan Joanni
The purpose of this paper is to characterize polyamide parts prepared by the SLS process using techniques that are dependent on surface properties and compare the results to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to characterize polyamide parts prepared by the SLS process using techniques that are dependent on surface properties and compare the results to density measurements in order to assess which technique better reflects the degree of densification achieved using different laser power levels.
Design/methodology/approach
Fabrication of Nylon 12 (Duraform PA) samples and their characterization by apparent density measurements, perfilometry, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, specific surface area and contact angle measurements.
Findings
Methods dependent on surface analysis are not suitable indicators of the degree of sample densification. Among the surface methods, the results from Raman spectroscopy are the ones with the best performance. Incipient sintering of the superficial layers and raw material powder on the surface, inherent to the parts made by the SLS process, strongly interfere with the characterization.
Originality/value
Quantitative comparison of a number of surface probing methods for monitoring densification of SLS parts. Characterization of sample surfaces with and without raw material powder.