Parametric improvisation of the selective laser sintering procedure to
attain the supreme hardness and density in sintered TPU parts
Abstract
Additive manufacturing techniques like Selective Laser Sintering
(SLS) allow for the creation of prototypes in a wide range of shapes and
sizes by using powder material. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a
polymer that sees extensive usage in the manufacture of functional parts
across a wide extent of industries, including the automotive and
aerospace sectors as well as the realms of medicine and athletics.
Output properties include density and hardness greatly impacted by the
various laser sintering settings, which in turn affect the quality of
TPU-manufactured products. Therefore, the higher accuracy of end-use
functional components relies heavily on the selection of sintering
settings. This research investigates the relationship between the
hardness and density of laser sintered parts and factors like part
orientation, laser power , and layer thickness . Using the Taguchi
parametric technique L9, we ran trials with varying values for each
process parameter to zero in on the optimal settings and quantify the
relative importance of each variable. The results demonstrate that laser
power, layer thickness, and component orientation are the most critical
factors in optimising the density and hardness of thermoplastic
polyurethane (TPU) using SLS processing.
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