The re-usability of heat-exposed poly (ethylene terephthalate) powder for laser sintering

Selective laser sintering, also called laser sintering (LS), is an additive manufacturing process that requires micronized plastic powder. Recently, we showed poly (ethylene terephthalate (PET) powder is a suitable material for LS, with a comparable printing performance as the current front-runner, polyamide 12 (PA12). However, the LS process, by its nature, leaves unused powder that has been exposed to heat for prolonged time, and this powder may not be fully re-usable due to degradation.