The Influence of Printing Orientation on the Flexural Strength of PA 12 Specimens Produced by SLS

Abstract

This article aims to investigate the mechanical characteristics of specimens fabricated using Selective Laser Sintering technology. The research covers flexural specimens, produced by PA12 materials. CAD model dimensions were selected according to the ISO 178 standard, and the chosen specimen geometry is 96 x 8 x 4 [mm] in bulk. All specimens were produced using a specialized machine Fuse 1 (FormLabs, Summerville, MA). Four specimen batches were produced, each with a different printing orientation (i.e. vertical and horizontal) and location on the printing plate (i.e. in the middle and on the edge of the powder bed). The specimens are tested using a Shimadzu universal machine for testing the mechanical characteristics of materials, AGS-X 100 kN, with a unique additional tool for testing 3-point bending specimens.