On the difference in material structure and fatigue properties of polyamide specimens produced by fused filament fabrication and selective laser sintering

The present paper describes the influence of both flexure quasi-static and fatigue loading on polyamide 12 (PA12) specimens fabricated by fused filament fabrication (FFF) and selective laser sintering (SLS) processes. Rectangular prisms (ISO 178:2010) of polymer were printed and tested under sinusoidal three-point bending fatigue loading at a frequency of 5 Hz. The differences in porosity, surface roughness, and degree of crystallinity are systematically measured and linked to the mechanical fatigue properties. Fatigue analysis in the visco-elastic domain of the polymer is fully described, from fatigue behavior to energy analysis. Here, we have shown that the fatigue properties of the FFF specimens are found to be higher than those of the SLS specimens, despite their lower degree of crystallinity (more than four times). The presence of pores and their growth during fatigue tests in the sintered PA12 specimen seem to be responsible. The fatigue loss factor analysis shows that at lower stress levels, PA12 material reveals its characteristic slight visco-elastic dissipation and heating as its lifetime was exhausted. Also, the obtained results of additively manufactured PA12 were compared with those of materials obtained by injection molding (IM) and extrusion techniques. The quasi-static flexural properties of PA12 obtained by FFF and SLS processes reveal better characteristics compared to IM and extruded specimens. However, the fatigue properties of the SLS-processed polymer are 24% and 40% less than those of materials obtained by IM and extrusion.