Powder Bed Fusion: Material Science in Additive Manufacturing

Last week, the spotlight was on the Additive Manufacturing technology Vat Photopolymerization (VP, SLA, DLP). Natalie Ruldoph (PhD) explained the general process principle and its variations, looked at the material class and discussed benefits and applications of the process.

What is Powder Bed Fusion?

This week, we are moving from thermosets to thermoplastics and specifically the Powder Bed Fusion process. It is an Additive Manufacturing process in which thermal energy selectively fuses regions of a powder bed (ASTM F42 Committee).

Temperature Field in Polymer Powder Bed Fusion (SLS)

Today, we focus on the required heat sources and the temperature field inside a Powder Bed Fusion printer. We explain the importance of the interplay of the different heaters and the laser. Additionally, we tap into the advanced material science of the melting and CrystallizationCrystallization is the physical process of hardening during the formation and growth of crystals. During this process, heat of crystallization is released.crystallization behavior of the material used in this Additive Manufacturing technology.

Materials Used in Polymer Powder Bed Fusion (SLS)

This video focuses on the materials used in Powder Bed Fusion processes as well as on their characteristics that make them suitable for this Additive Manufacturing technology.

Benefits and Applications of Polymer Powder Bed Fusion (SLS)

What are the advantages and applications of Polymer Powder Bed Fusion? This video gives insight into the benefits and disadvantages of this Additive Manufacturing technology. Furthermore, I will point out the applications where Polymer Powder Bed Fusion is used today.

Building a Community

This video series is not a one-way road! Please leave your questions in the YouTube commentary. We will answer your questions and use them to fill our pool of questions from which we will choose the most frequently asked ones to be answered in our live events throughout 2021. Furthermore, we encourage you to have discussions in the comment section to also learn from and challenge your peers.

Next week, we will focus some more Polymer Powder Bed Fusion and have a look at metal powder bed fusion and another unique variation of the process. Keep your eyes peeled!