Selective Laser Sintering of SiC/Polyamide Composites

This paper presents an experimental study into the production of particulate Silicon Carbide/Polyamide matrix composites via the selective laser sintering (SLS) process. FEPA standard SiC grit, F240, was blended with the commercially available Duraform Polyamide to produce blend compositions of 50 volume percent and 50 weight percent SiC for direct SLS processing. A full factorial experimental approach was applied to examine the effects and interactions of laser power, scan speed, line spacing and layer thickness with regard to the mechanical and physical properties of composite sintered parts. Analysis of results and discussions of parameter interactions and individual main effects especially with regard to part strength are also presented.