Selective laser sintering of polystyrene: a single-layer approach

Selective laser sintering (SLS) is a powder bed-based additive manufacturing technique to produce complex three-dimensional parts. Although every thermoplastic polymer theoretically can be processed via this technique, variable material behaviour complicates the optimisation of the processing parameters. This study investigates the processability of polystyrene by SLS by evaluating bed temperatures and laser parameters. The morphology of single-layer parts is examined through scanning electron microscopy and roughness measurements to find an indication for the optimal processing parameters. Additionally, the effect of carbon black (CB) (as a colouring additive) on the processability of polystyrene is studied. It is found that polystyrene without CB is processable at a bed temperature just below the glass transition temperature. The addition of CB reduces the consolidation of single layers. The single-layer investigation is extended to, and shown to correlate with, a preliminary investigation of the relative density of multilayer parts.