Directed Energy Deposition of PA12 carbon nanotube composite powder using a fiber laser
Yunus Kutlu, Yannick L. Wencke, Gerrit A. Luinstra, Cemal Esen, Andreas Ostendorf
Abstract
Directed Energy Deposition (DED) an AM-technology that is widely known for its applications with metals was adapted for use with thermoplastics. A drop-in approach was used based on a DED setup for metal powders consisting of a Yb fiber laser with a wavelength of 1075 nm and a powder feed from a coaxial powder nozzle. The possibility of manufacturing items with simple geometries from a polyamide 12 multi-walled carbon nanotube composite starting material is described as a proof of concept. Tensile properties of samples are reported for measurements perpendicular and parallel to the generating direction, showing still a low strength compared to Bulk PA12 or SLS sintered PA12 specimens.