Evonik, LEHVOSS launch LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF specifically for SLS

Working in cooperation with Evonik, LEHVOSS has developed and is now introducing LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF, a PA613 polymer with compounded carbon fiber reinforcement. The base polymer PA613 was designed by EVONIK specifically for use in SLS (selective laser sintering) additive manufacturing processes. As such, it is characterized by low moisture absorption, high-temperature stability, and – unlike PA6 – high process stability in laser sintering.

Based on the INFINAM 6500 P material by Evonik, PA613 is suitable for 3D printing applications in the higher temperature range. LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF from LEHVOSS is the carbon fiber-reinforced powder variant and as such offers increased rigidity and temperature resistance.

Industrial 3D printing requires plastic materials that, as printed components, correspond to the performance level of injection-molded components. This is the key to finding applications for special components or in the spare parts market without major qualification effort and design adjustments. The standard materials in the plastics industry primarily currently include PP GF10, PP GF30 or PA6 GF30 – i.e. fiber-reinforced materials.

Powder bed processes such as laser sintering offer almost unlimited geometric freedom when printing components. This is necessary because the components originally designed for injection molding have complex geometries. Unfortunately, reinforced polymers in powder form are a contradiction in terms: users can make do with fibers mixed dry into plastic powders. However, when unbound, very thin fibers or microscopically thin mineral needles are risky to handle from an occupational safety perspective. For this reason, they often do not receive internal approval from industrial 3D printing processors. It doesn’t help that the fibers have to get into the powder particles.

In the production of LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF, special carbon fibers were compounded into individual plastic particles. Carbon fibers bonded in this way comply with applicable occupational health and safety regulations. With a build chamber temperature of 195 °C, both powder variants can be processed on standard SLS printers.

The fiber reinforcement in LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF consists of high-strength XCF fibers, which have previously been used in LUVOCOM XCF products for injection molding. When it comes to powder production, new approaches to particle technology were taken in order to preserve the fiber lengths in the individual particles as best as possible. Printing the LUVOSINT PA613 9711 CF requires a build chamber temperature of 195 °C, which makes standard laser sintering machines suitable for processing. The material absorbs the wavelengths of CO2, diode or fiber lasers.

“The fact that the first automotive OEMs have already qualified for spare parts production shows that we are on the right track. Nevertheless, in laser sintering, there still needs to be a lot of willingness to innovate in order to develop even more industrially relevant materials – including machines optimized for this – in order to bring industrial 3D printing into ‘series’!” said Dr. Marcus Rechberger, product manager for LUVOSINT at the LEHVOSS Group.