Aging of PA12 Powder in Powder Bed Fusion

Abstract

Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) is a popular additive manufacturing technology due to its high build resolution and ability to produce microscale geometries without the use of additional support. Despite the many benefits of PBF, there are still some limitations associated with the materials to be built. A critical industrial limit is the aging of PA12 powder, which is the degradation of its physical and chemical properties due to high temperatures and long building cycles of the powder that is not directly fused into the final part but supports the part under construction. This powder is now being used to make another part in order to reduce manufacturing costs. The mechanical properties of the built parts are reduced due to the reused powder. The current study aims to characterize powder aging using experimental tests such as Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, and Thermogravimetric Analysis to define the physical and chemical parameters of the powder that will be used inside a simulation software to optimize the process.