Polymer powder production for laser melting through immiscible blends

Availability of polymer material in powder form with a defined particle size and spherical morphology is the first major hurdle in procuring suitable materials for laser melting. Obtaining the correct particle size and morphology is vital as the powder properties influence both processing ability and the final characteristics of the part. The exploitation of the immiscibility of special polymer blends during extrusion or kneading process represent a path to generate powder with desired morphology and particle size. Key issues to consider are: the feasibility to separate the mixture, properties and processing limitations of the constituents. In this paper it is studied the resulting morphological structure of PA12-PEG and PA12-Polyvinil Alcohol (PVA) blends. PA12 is by far the most widely used polymer in laser melting and, PEG and PVA are water soluble, these factors make the investigation of their blends and possibilities to control their morphology a pretty interesting path to produce quality powder for laser melting.