Preparation of coated sand for selective laser sintering and optimization of baking process of sand moulds

A cold method was used to prepare coated sand for application in the selective laser sintering(SLS)process.Tensile strength,loss on ignition,gas evolution,and accuracy of the SLS samples were tested and analyzed,and the baking process was thoroughly investigated.Compared with coated sand prepared by the hot method,the cold method yields a more uniform and complete resin film on the sand's surface,resulting in enhanced tensile strength and accuracy.Additionally,the cold method requires a lower binder content to meet the same strength requirements,thereby minimizing gas evolution,reducing porosity defects,and ultimately improving casting quality.The coated sand samples prepared through the cold method exhibit superior accuracy,with a size error of within±0.4 mm.In contrast,the coated sand samples prepared by the hot method display a lower accuracy,with an average negative error of 2.1993 mm.The highest tensile strength could be attained by controlling the baking temperature within a suitable range(180-190°C),which can effectively reduce the generation of gas,thus contributing to improved overall performance.

NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF TEMPERATURE FIELD IN DIRECT METAL LASER SINTERING PROCESS

A mathematical model is developed for simulating the heat transferring behavior in a direct metal laser sintering process. The model considers the thermal phenomena involved in the process, including conduction, radiation, and convection. A formula for the calculation of the heat conductivity of a sintering system containing solid phase, liquid phase, and gas phase is given. Due to the continuous movement of the laser beam, a local coordinate system centered on the laser beam is used to simplify the analytical calculation. Assuming that it is approximately a Gaussian laser beam, the heat conduction equation is resolved based on the assumption of the thermal insulating boundary conditions and the fixed thermal physical parameters. The FORTRAN language is employed to compile the program to simulate the temperature field in the direct copper powder sintering process. It shows a good agreement with the preliminary experimental results.[KH3/4D]

Effects of laser energy density on forming accuracy and tensile strength of selective laser sintering resin coated sands

Baozhu sand particles with size between 75 μm and 150 μm were coated by resin with the ratio of 1.5 wt.% of sands. Laser sintering experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of laser energy density(E = P/v), with different laser power(P) and scanning velocity(v), on the dimensional accuracy and tensile strength of sintered parts. The experimental results indicate that with the constant scanning velocity, the tensile strength of sintered samples increases with an increase in laser energy density; while the dimensional accuracy apparently decreases when the laser energy density is larger than 0.032 J·mm-2. When the laser energy density is 0.024 J·mm-2, the tensile strength shows no obvious change; but when the laser energy density is larger than 0.024 J·mm-2, the sample strength is featured by the initial increase and subsequent decrease with simultaneous increase of both laser power and scanning velocity. In this study, the optimal energy density range for laser sintering is 0.024-0.032 J·mm-2. Moreover, samples with the best tensile strength and dimensional accuracy can be obtained when P = 30-40 W and v = 1.5-2.0 m·s-1. Using the optimized laser energy density, laser power and scanning speed, a complex coated sand mould with clear contour and excellent forming accuracy has been successfully fabricated.

Morphology and Mechanical Properties of PS/Al_2O_3 Nanocomposites Based on Selective Laser Sintering

Selective laser sintering （SLS） is a new process to prepare the polystyrene （PS）/Al2O3 nanocomposites. In this paper, with different laser power and other processing parameters unchanged, the morphology, density and mechanical properties of the sintered specimens were investigated. It was found that nano-sized inorganic particles are uniformly located in the PS matrix and the maximum density of the sintered specimens with pure PS powder reaches 1.07 g/cm^3, higher than 1.04 g/cm^3 that of the sintered specimens with mixture powder. Due to strengthening and toughness of the nano-sized Al2O3 inorganic particles, the maximum notched impact strength and tensile strength of the sintered part mixed with nano-sized inorganic particles are improved greatly from 7.5 to 12.1 kJ/m^2 and from 6.5 to 31.2 MPa, respectively, under the same sintering condition.

Investigating on casting mold (or core) making with coated sand by the selected laser sintering

Using a special coated sand as the material of the selected laser sintering (SLS), the authors test and investigate the strength change of the test samples in terms of different sintering parameters (scanning speed, laser power, sintering thickness, and so on). The characteristics of coated sand hardening by laser beam are analyzed. The sintered mold (or core) for given casting is poured with molten metal.

Rapid casting technology based on selective laser sintering

Selective laser sintering(SLS),as a kind of additive manufacturing technology,which uses a laser beam to scan and heat powder material layer by layer to form parts(models),is widely used in the field of casting,mainly for preparing casting coated sand cores,investment casting patterns,etc.The SLS technique facilitates rapid casting and shortens the casting production periods by eliminating mold preparation.In this study,we reached conclusions for the basic principles and characteristics of SLS methods,and focused on the research status,key technology and development trend of SLS in the fields of forming coated sand-casting molds and investment casting patterns.

Advances in selective laser sintering of polymers

Polymers are widely used materials in aerospace,automotive,construction,medical devices and pharmaceuticals.Polymers are being promoted rapidly due to their ease of manufacturing and improved material properties.Research on polymer processing technology should be paid more attention to due to the increasing demand for polymer applications.Selective laser sintering(SLS)uses a laser to sinter powdered materials(typical polyamide),and it is one of the critical additive manufacturing(AM)techniques of polymer.It irradiates the laser beam on the defined areas by a computer-aided design three-dimensional(3D)model to bind the material together to create a designed 3D solid structure.SLS has many advantages,such as no support structures and excellent mechanical properties resembling injection moulded parts compared with other AM methods.However,the ability of SLS to process polymers is still affected by some defects,such as the porous structure and limited available types of SLS polymers.Therefore,this article reviews the current state-of-the-art SLS of polymers,including the fundamental principles in this technique,the SLS developments of typical polymers,and the essential process parameters in SLS.Furthermore,the applications of SLS are focused,and the conclusions and perspectives are discussed.

Prediction of Sintering Strength for Selective Laser Sintering of Polystyrene Using Artificial Neural Network

In the present work,a study is made to investigate the effects of process parameters,namely,laser power,scanning speed,hatch spacing, layer thickness and powder temperature, on the tensile strength for selective laser sintering( SLS) of polystyrene( PS). Artificial neural network( ANN) methodology is employed to develop mathematical relationships between the process parameters and the output variable of the sintering strength. Experimental data are used to train and test the network. The present neural network model is applied to predicting the experimental outcome as a function of input parameters within a specified range. Predicted sintering strength using the trained back propagation( BP) network model showed quite a good agreement with measured ones. The results showed that the networks had high processing speed,the abilities of error-correcting and self-organizing. ANN models had favorable performance and proved to be an applicable tool for predicting sintering strength SLS of PS.

Fe-Zn supersaturated solid solution prepared by mechanical alloying and laser sintering to accelerate degradation

The slow degration of iron limits its bone implant application.The solid solution of Zn in Fe is expected to accelerate the degradation.In this work,mechanical alloying(MA)was used to prepare Fe-Zn powder with supersaturated solid solution.MA significantly decreased the lamellar spacing between particles,thus reducing the diffusion distance of solution atoms.Moreover,it caused a number of crystalline defects,which further promoted the solution diffusion.Subsequently,the MA-processed powder was consolidated into Fe-Zn part by laser sintering,which involved a partial melting/rapid solidification mechanism and retained the original supersaturated solid solution.Results proved that the Fe-Zn alloy became more susceptible with a lowered corrosion potential,and thereby an accelerated corrosion rate of(0.112±0.013)mm/year.Furthermore,it also exhibited favorable cell behavior.This work highlighted the advantage of MA combined with laser sintering for the preparation of Fe-Zn implant with improved degradation performance.

Compact Co3O4/Co in-situ nanocomposites prepared by pulsed laser sintering as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

With the development of portable electronic devices, electric vehicles, and power storage systems, the demand for rechargeable batteries with high energy density is growing rapidly [1–5]. In the field of lithium-ion batteries, the unconventional anode materials such as tin, silicon, metallic lithium, and transition-metal oxides have been extensively studied due to the high capacity, but they are still inapplicable because of the low initial coulombic efficiency(ICE) and/or the poor cycling stability [5–9].

IGNITING SHS BY LASER AND ITS APPLICATION TO SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING OF METALLIC POWDER MATERIAL

How to directly fabricate metallic functional parts with selective laser sintering (SLS) process is a potential technique that scientists are researching. Existent problems during directly fabricating metal part by use of SLS are analyzed. For the sake of solving the problems, a new idea of adding self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) material into metallic powder material to form new type of SLS metallic powder material is put forward. This powder material can release controllable amount of heat during its interaction with the laser beam energy to reduce the requirement to laser power during directly sintering metallic part, to prolong the time of metallic liquid phase existing, and to improve the intensity and accuracy of SLS part. For this reason, SHS material′s interaction with the CO2 laser beam energy is researched, which proves that CO2 laser beam energy may instantly ignite SHS reaction. On the basis of the above-mentioned researches, the effect of sintering the metal powder material mixing SHS material with CO2 laser is also researched, which shows: there is an optimal blending ratio of various material in the new metallic powder material. Under the optimal blending ratio and SLS process parameters, this new metallic powder material can indeed release amount of heat and SHS reaction may be controlled within the laser sintering. This research result makes it possible that the metallic part is directly sintered with small CO2 laser (less than 50W), which may greatly reduce the volume, cost and running expenditure of SLS machine, be propitious to application.

Prediction and Analysis of Post-Treatment of Sustainable Walnut Shell/Co-PES Parts by Laser Sintering

In order to enhance the strength of sustainable walnut shell/Co-PES(WSPC)sintered parts,wax-filtrated posttreatment was carried out.The effects of treating fluid temperature,preheating time and immersion time on the bending strength of WSPC wax-filtrated parts were analyzed by single factor analysis method.To obtain an accurate model for predicting the bending strength of the WSPC wax-filtrated part,the experiments were involved by using Box-Behnken design(BBD).Main parameters,such as treating fluid temperature,preheating time and immersion time,and their interactive effects were analyzed through analysis of variance(ANOVA)and graphical contours.The results demonstrated that all parameters’direct effects were significant to bending strength of the WSPC wax-filtrated part.Its optimum value was 5.0 MPa when the treating fluid temperature of 70°C,preheating time of 50 min,and immersion time of 20 s.The predicted models effectively validated had good predicting accuracy.The WSPC wax-filtrated part using optimal processing parameters was processed by investment casting,and then the metal casting of dimensional stability and smooth surface was obtained.Investment casting was done using WSPC wax-filtrated parts under optimal process parameters and then metal parts with stable structure size and smooth surface can be obtained,which indicates that WSPC material can be used for investment casting.

A Comparison between Direct and Indirect Laser Sintering of Metals

Layer manufacture technologies are gaining increasing attention in the manufacturing for the production of polymer mould tooling. Layer manufacture techniques can be used in this potential manufacturing area to produce tooling either indirectly or directly, and powder metal based layer manufacture systems are considered as an effective way of producing rapid tooling. Mechanical properties and accuracy are critical for tooling. This paper reports the results of an experimental study examining the potential of layer manufacturing processes to deliver production tooling for polymer manufacture. A comparison between indirectly selective laser sintering and directly selective laser sintering to provide the tooling was reported. Three main areas were addressed during the study： mechanical strength, accuracy, and build rate. Overviews of the results from the studies were presented.

Synthesis of Polymer Nanocomposites for Selective Laser Sintering （SLS）

This paper presents initial development of polymer application. PNC materials containing a polyamide （PA） and nano to improve the mechanical properties. Commercial polyamide 6 nanocomposites （PNC） material for rapid manufacturing （RM） particles （5 wt%） were produced by solution blending with the aim （PA6） was dissolved in formic acid （HCO2H） together with two different types of nano particle materials： yttrium stabilised zirconia （YSZ） and Hectorite clay （Benton 166） and spray-dried to create powder, creating powder with particle sizes in the range of 10-40 μm. The materials were processed on a CO2 selective laser sintering （SLS） experimental machine. Mechanical properties of the PNCs were evaluated and the results were compared with the unfilled base polymer. Good dispersion of additives was achieved by solution blending, however the PA6 was degraded during the material preparation and spray drying process which resulted in the formation of porous structure and low strength. However the addition of 5 （wt%） nano particles in the PA6 has shown to increase strength by an average of 50-60%. Further work on powder preparation is required in order to fully realize these performance benefits.

Direct Slicing Based on Material Performance and Process Parameters for Selective Laser Sintering

Direct slicing from GAD models to generate sectional contours of the part to be sintered for Selective Laser Sintering （SLS） may overcome inherent disadvantages of using a Stereo Lithography （STL） format. In this paper, a direct slicing procedure is proposed for Selective Laser Sintering based on material performance and process parameters. Slicing thickness depends on the 3 D geometric model, material performance and process parameters. The relationship among material performance, process parameters and the largest slicing thickness is established using analysis of a sintering temperature field. A dynamic linked library is developed to realize direct slicing from a CAD model.

Microstructural tailoring,mechanical and thermal properties of SiC composites fabricated by selective laser sintering and reactive melt infiltration

Poor flowability of printable powders and long preparation cycles are the main challenges in the selective laser sintering(SLS)of chopped carbon fiber(C_(f))reinforced silicon carbide(SiC)composites with complex structures.In this study,we develop an efficient and novel processing route in the fabrication of lightweight SiC composites via the SLS of phenolic resin(PR)and Cr powders with the addition of a-SiC particles combined with the one-step reactive melt infiltration(RMI).The effects of a-SiC addition on the microstructural evolution of the C_(f)/SiC/PR printed bodies,C_(f)/SiC/C green bodies,and derived SiC composites were investigated.The results indicate that the added a-SiC particles play an important role in enhancing the flowability of raw powders,reducing the porosity.increasing the reliability of the C/SiC/C green bodies,and contributing to improving the microstructure homogeneity and mechanical properties of the SiC composites.The maximum density,flexural strength,and fracture toughness(Kic)of the SiC composites are 2.749±0.006 g·cm^(3),266±5 MPa,and 3.30±0.06 MPa-m,respectively.The coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE,a)of the SiC composites is approximately 4.29×10^(-6)K^(-1)from room temperature(RT)to 900℃,and the thermal conductivity(x)is in the range of 80.15-92.48 W·m^(-1)·K^(-1)at RT.The high-temperature strength of the SiC composites increase to 287±18 MPa up to 1200℃.This study provides a novel as well as feasible tactic for the preparation of high-quality printable powders as well as lightweight,high-strength,and high-x SiC composites with complex structures by the SLS and RMI.

SOFTWARE SYSTEM FOR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING

The advent of rapid prototyping & manufacturing techniques represents a major breakthrough in production engineering. This paper is concerned with the software system aspects of the selective laser sintering (SLS),i.e.the issues that deal with an external geometric CAD model to automatically control the physical layering fabrication process as directly as possible ,regardless of the source of the model. The general issues are described and some key methods are given in this paper.

Simulation Analysis of Stress Field of Walnut Shell Composite Powder in Laser Additive Manufacturing Forming

A calculation model of stress field in laser additive manufacturing of walnut shell composite powder(walnut shell/Co-PES powder)was established.The DFLUX subroutine was used to implement the moveable application of a double ellipsoid heat source by considering the mechanical properties varying with temperature.The stress field was simulated by the sequential coupling method,and the experimental results were in good accordance with the simulation results.In addition,the distribution and variation of stress and strain field were obtained in the process of laser additive manufacturing of walnut shell composite powder.The displacement of laser additive manufacturing walnut shell composite parts gradually decreased with increasing preheating temperature,decreasing laser power and increasing scanning speed.During the cooling process,the displacement of laser additive manufacturing of walnut shell composite parts gradually increased with the increasing preheating temperature,decreasing scanning speed and increasing laser power.

New method of improving parts accuracy by adding heat balance support in selective laser sintering

In order to improve parts accuracy, a method of adding heat balance support （HBS） was proposed, and the detailed algorithm for generating HBS was developed. A number of experiments and a comparison between similar softwares, showed that the algorithm is efficient and feasible. Moreover, different features of riBS were studied for different kinds of materials, such as PS and nylon. The research findings indicate that automatically adding HBS can significantly improve the accuracy of the parts, and that the algorithm for generating HBS is efficient and precise.

Laser sintering of Cu nanoparticles on PET polymer substrate for printed electronics at different wavelengths and process conditions

This study explores the feasibility of different laser systems to sinter screen-printed lines from nonconductive copper nanoparticles(Cu NPs)on polyethylene terephthalate polymer film.These materials are commonly used in manufacturing functional printed electronics for large-area applications.Here,optical and thermal characterization of the materials is conducted to identify suitable laser sources and process conditions.Direct diode(808 nm),Nd:YAG(1064 nm and second harmonic of 532 nm),and ytterbium fiber(1070 nm)lasers are explored.Optimal parameters for sintering the Cu NPs are identified for each laser system,which targets low resistivity and high processing speed.Finally,the quality of the sintered tracks is quantified,and the laser sintering mechanisms observed under different wavelengths are analyzed.Practical considerations are discussed to improve the laser sintering process of Cu NPs.