Investigation on Build Orientation for High Quality and High Tensile Strength Additive Manufacturing Parts
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Abstract
Polyamide-12 (PA 2200) from EOS GmbH is widely used in selective laser sintering (SLS) processes, but its powder quality degrades with repeated use, leading to powder loss. To maintain part quality, 50 to 70 percent of the used powder is regenerated, with only 8 to 12 percent of fresh powder contributing to usable parts. Aged powder must be removed to ensure desired mechanical properties. This study examines how build orientation affects the tensile properties and surface quality of parts made with EOSINT P395 and PA2200 powder, using Taguchi’s design of experiments. Results show that specimens printed in the z-axis orientation had the lowest tensile strength, while those in the x-axis orientation exhibited the highest values (43.47 MPa to 46.15 MPa). Additionally, combining new and aged powder, along with post-heating treatment, improved the surface quality of parts, particularly when reclaimed powders were reused.
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