A study on the selective dual laser sintering process for the solid freeform fabrication system

Abstract

A solid freeform fabrication (SFF) system using selective laser sintering (SLS) is currently recognized as a leading process and SLS extends the application to machinery and automobiles due to the various materials employed. In order to develop a more elaborate and rapid system for fabricating large objects compared to existing SLS, this study employs a new selective dual-laser sintering (SDLS) process. It contains a 3-axis, dynamic focusing scanner system for scanning large areas instead of the existing fθ lens used in commercial SLS. Therefore, the unique scanning path generation is necessary to eliminate the factors of quality deterioration in case of fabricating larger objects. Also, this paper will address development of a SFF system which employs the dual laser system and the unique scanning device. In the SLS, the sintering temperature, laser beam power and layer thickness have a great influence on sintering of the polymer. Experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of a scanning path and fabrication parameters on sintering process and to fabricate the various 3D objects using polymer.A solid freeform fabrication (SFF) system using selective laser sintering (SLS) is currently recognized as a leading process and SLS extends the application to machinery and automobiles due to the various materials employed. In order to develop a more elaborate and rapid system for fabricating large objects compared to existing SLS, this study employs a new selective dual-laser sintering (SDLS) process. It contains a 3-axis, dynamic focusing scanner system for scanning large areas instead of the existing fθ lens used in commercial SLS. Therefore, the unique scanning path generation is necessary to eliminate the factors of quality deterioration in case of fabricating larger objects. Also, this paper will address development of a SFF system which employs the dual laser system and the unique scanning device. In the SLS, the sintering temperature, laser beam power and layer thickness have a great influence on sintering of the polymer. Experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of a scanning path and fa...