Polyamide 12 (PA12) , or nylon 12, is a workhorse semicrystalline polymer employed for selective laser sintering (SLS), an additive manufacturing (AM) technique that fuses polymer particles together in a layer-by-layer fashion to produce a 3D object. Powder recyclability is an issue with this AM process, which is thought to be caused by molecular weight growth and chain scission in PA12 powder near the sintered object. In this work, novel and melt-stable PA12 molecular architectures are explored through use of an anionic dispersion polymerization. This reaction is based in the literature and produces polymer microspheres with minimal purification after polymerization. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC) probe thermal transitions in these PA12 microspheres. Finally, melt rheology demonstrates melt stability over SLS-relevant time scales, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) probes particle shape and size as a function of polymerization conditions.

Melt stable, linear and branched polyamides for selective laser sintering applications

254th National Meeting (2017)

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