Fire retardant polyamide 11 nanocomposites/elastomer blends for selective laser sintering

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) had previously been used solely for prototyping and visualization purposes, but in recent years, this technique has shifted to the idea of producing end-use parts. This has already been successfully done in some areas via selective laser sintering (SLS). Unfortunately, current polymeric materials for processing via SLS do not meet the requirements of the majority of commercial applications. Hence, this thesis presents efforts to develop a multifunctional polyamide 11 (PA11) polymer with enhanced thermal, mechanical, and flammability properties for SLS through the use of nanotechnology.