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PLA for sls printing

Posted by santomc

santomc

PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 11:22AM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 5

Hello guys, I am new here.

I would like to know if anyone have tried PLA with SLS printer machines? Should it work fine as the nylon?

Many thanks

Don

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VDX

Re: PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 01:02PM

Admin
Registered: 16 years ago
Posts: 13,886

Hi Don,

any meltable material will work - you need the correct laser (wavelength) to melt the powder and enough power to do this at sufficient speed winking smiley

Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

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santomc

Re: PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 01:26PM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 5

Thanks a lot for your quick answer Viktor.

Do you know if PLA will work even if I add some masterbach flex additive to it? I have been told that masterbatch additive has uncapped polymer chains that will come unzipped during the laser sintering process, basically de-polymerizing the polymer.

Do you know something about it?

Thanks

Don

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VDX

Re: PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 01:55PM

Admin
Registered: 16 years ago
Posts: 13,886

Hi Don,

no, I have no experience with chemical reactions while laser-sintering.

You can try with melting the surface of a small pile of the powder with a butane torch ... then you can test the stability/brittleness of the molten piece.

Laser-sintering should embed lower heat, than the melting flame ...

Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

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santomc

Re: PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 02:38PM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 5

Hi Viktor,

So if it will work with the butane flame it will work for sure with the laser too? I mean, once the compound is melted it has the same peculiarities if it's melted by flame or by laser?

Thanks

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VDX

Re: PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 03:00PM

Admin
Registered: 16 years ago
Posts: 13,886

... my gut feeling says 'yes' winking smiley

- melting with a flame should be more "heat stress" than with laser-sintering, as with the flame you'll melt deeper, it's more involved volume and cools slower down.

With SLS the melting time is much shorter and mostly only the powder particles surface is melted, not the inner core ...

Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

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santomc

Re: PLA for sls printing
April 20, 2016 03:05PM

Registered: 8 years ago
Posts: 5

Hopefully you are right. I will try and I'll let you know.

many thanks for your help mate.

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floee

Re: PLA for sls printing
January 26, 2019 07:22AM

Registered: 10 years ago
Posts: 13

Quote
santomc
Hopefully you are right. I will try and I'll let you know.

many thanks for your help mate.

Hey santomc,
i was wondering if you could share your experience with the PLA SLS.

Did it work out?
Im looking for a biodegradable alternative to nylon.

Thanks in advance froam Austria,
Florian

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cozmicray

Re: PLA for sls printing
January 27, 2019 04:52PM

Registered: 11 years ago
Posts: 1,049

I would like to know of a PLA powder supplier?

Small quantity

One that you don't have to purchase a metric ton?

confused smiley