Selective laser sintering (SLS) of thermoplastic materials is an additive manufacturing process that overcomes the boundary between prototype construction and functional components. This technique also meets the requirements of traditional and established production processes. Crystallization behavior is one of the most critical properties during the cooling process and needs to be fully understood. Due to the huge influence of crystallization on the mechanical and thermal properties, it is important to investigate this process more closely. A commercial SLS polyamide (PA12) powder was measured with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to model a wider temperature range. To model isothermal crystallization between 160 and 168 °C, the Avrami model was used to determine the degree of crystallization. For non-isothermal crystallization between 0.2 and 20 K/min, different models were compared including the Ozawa, Jeziory, and Nakamura equations.
Keywords: crystallization; differential scanning calorimeter; polyamide 12 (PA12); selective laser sintering.