The HelixJet (https://www.inptdat.de/helixjet) was applied to simultaneous melting and plasma treatment of polyamide (PA 12) microparticles (diameter 60 µm) used conventionally for 3D printing by laser sintering. This proof-of-principle experiment demonstrated that gaussian thickness profiles of PA 12 can be printed using the HelixJet with a rapid rate of 200 mg/s (peak growth 2 mm/s) and with advantageous material properties. The key element of this novel process is the self-regulated balance between material melting and plasma quenching. As a result, particles leaving the HelixJet with the gas flow velocity have a temperature slightly below the melting temperature preventing material degradation that would occur at higher temperatures. The above process has been captured with a high-speed infrared camera. The resulting movie combines the best temporal and spatial resolution for the studied process and reveals the particle temperature of 180°C to 190°C and their velocity of 0.5 m/s to 3 m/s depending on the radial position.
Field | Value |
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Group | |
Authors | |
Release Date | 2019-07-09 |
Identifier | 43775bda-6c4c-4060-8ff8-c847d2a6094e |
Permanent Identifier (DOI) | |
Permanent Identifier (URI) | |
Is supplementing | |
Plasma Source Name | |
Plasma Source Application | |
Plasma Source Specification | |
Plasma Source Properties | Non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet (capacitively coupled). Power: 50 W; Frequency: 27.12 MHz; Flow rate: 1000 sccm Ar; Electrodes: helical configuration with inclination angle 33°; Capillary: inner diameter 7 mm. |
Plasma Source Procedure | The measurements occur 30 minutes after temperature conditioning of the plasma source. |
Plasma Medium Name | |
Plasma Medium Properties | Flowrate: 1000 sccm; Pressure: 1 bar; Temperature: 300 to 1000 K; Purity: argon 6.0 |
Plasma Medium Procedure | Standard conditions of the argon gas are assured. |
Plasma Target Name | |
Plasma Target Properties | Polyamide 12 powder with mean diameter of 60 µm at room temperature. |
Plasma Target Procedure | Dosis: 10 mg in 50 ms introduced in the argon flow. Footprint area: 1 cm² at 1 cm below the outlet of the jet. |
Plasma Diagnostics Name | |
Plasma Diagnostics Properties | The process has been captured with a high-speed infrared camera Flir SC6801 F/2.5 3-5 µm combined with infrared microscope objective ×1 at the frame rate of 2 kHz (320×256 pixel). The optic system with InSb detector (640×512 pixel) is calibrated for temperatures from -10°C to 350°C. The working distance was 6.1 mm from the axis of the HelixJet. |
Language | English |
License | |
Public Access Level | Public |
Contact Name | Schäfer, Jan |
Contact Email |
Data and Resources
- High-speed thermal microscopy of plasma microprinting (high-speed video)mp4
The high-speed video combines the best temporal and spatial resolution for...
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