The re-usability of heat-exposed poly (ethylene terephthalate) powder for laser sintering

Selective laser sintering, also called laser sintering (LS), is an additive manufacturing process that requires micronized plastic powder. Recently, we showed poly (ethylene terephthalate (PET) powder is a suitable material for LS, with a comparable printing performance as the current front-runner, polyamide 12 (PA12). However, the LS process, by its nature, leaves unused powder that has been exposed to heat for prolonged time, and this powder may not be fully re-usable due to degradation. In this work, the re-use potential of heat-exposed PET powder is established. This is a matter of crucial importance as powders suitable for LS are very expensive, and the powder left after a building episode has to be re-used. Heat-exposed PA12 has to be blended or refreshed with virgin powder, to avoid printing defects. In contrast, heat-exposed PET powder, after 96 h at 210 degrees C, could be used, without refreshing with a portion of virgin powder. The printed articles from heat-exposed powders were as good as those from the fresh powder. There was no cross-linking and there was only a minor increase in the molecular weight of the powder after 96 h, at 210 degrees C.