Selective laser sintering of polyamide-rectorite composite

Abstract: Selective laser sintering is used to prepare components from a kind of blended powder of polyamide 12 (PA12) and organically modified rectorite (OREC). The effects of OREC on the sintering parameters and mechanical properties of the sintered specimens are investigated. The results show that the laser power needed for sintering decreases greatly and the mechanical properties of the sintered specimens are improved considerably with the addition of OREC. The differential scanning calorimetry result shows that the crystallization behavior of the PA12–OREC composites is different from that of pure PA12. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope results show that OREC is intercalated by PA12 during the sintering process and PA12–OREC nanocomposites are formed