Temperature field distribution in polymer particles during surface-selective laser sintering

The dynamics of polymer particle heating by laser irradiation during surface-selective laser sintering (SSLS) has been studied both experimentally and theoretically. Water aerosol wetting of the polymer particle surface was applied to increase the absorbance of thulium fiber laser radiation at 1.96 mu m. Theoretical modeling of the laser-induced thermal processes was performed in thermolabile polylactic-co-glycolic acid powder coated with a thin water layer. Temperature gradients on the surface and inside the sintered particle volume were evaluated and analyzed. It was shown that for certain optimized SSLS parameters an effective sintering process can be achieved by delicate melting of the particle surface only, without noticeable changes in the chemical and phase compositions of the internal domains.