Flame-Retardant and Tensile Properties of Polyamide 12 Processed by Selective Laser Sintering

Composite materials are becoming widely applied in fire-critical conditions such as, e.g., aviation interior parts. Environmental considerations motivate the use of additive manufacturing due to the decrease of polymer wastes, and therefore additional fuel sources. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of printing direction on flame retardancy and the tensile properties of 3D-printed test samples of polyamide 12 manufactured by selective laser sintering. The effects of printing parameters on the flammability of 3D-printed samples were investigated using vertical burn tests with varied specimen thicknesses and printing directions. It was found that these effects were substantial for the flammability at a low thickness of the test samples. No significant effects of printing direction were revealed for the tensile characteristics of polyamide 12.