A comprehensive review of polymer materials and selective laser sintering technology for 3D printing

This review analyses different approaches used to study selective laser sintering (SLS) technology of polymer materials. These main approaches concern: thermal behaviour, fatigue and surface roughness.Regarding the first behaviour, researchers extensively studied the impact of process parameters, including scan speed, laser, power and laser energy density, on the thermal behaviour of 3D printed parts. Numerical and experimental analyses are used to conduct process parameter evaluations.Laser power and scan speed are the most significant parameters of the laser energy density. For the second, according to test protocols and quantitative analysis performed, the authors concluded that the combination of small and large laser energy density particles generates higher sintering and better fatigue resistance. Moreover, tensile analysis in different environments showed that testing in the water decreased the fatigue life of polymer samples. The influence of process parameters on the mechanical properties and surface roughness of 3D parts is also analysed. In addition, the investigators found that the additives increase the surface roughness of 3D printed parts.This review shows that researchers can focus on creating a combination of these approaches to expand the use of this process for industrial part production.All these investigations have made it possible to determine the optimal process conditions to ensure higher quality, optimal surface quality and better fatigue strength.