Single-step Laser Plastic Deposition (LPD) using a near-infrared Thulium fiber-laser

Additive Manufacturing of thermoplastic polymers is typically carried out using techniques such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) or Fused Layer Modeling (FLM), both of which require the use of support structures that have to be removed after the production process. The laser welding of thermoplastic polymers using laser sources with a wavelength of around 1 μm and thus also Direct Selective Laser Melting (SLM) in the same wavelength spectrum requires the admixing of additives such as carbon black in order to improve the absorption of laser light within the polymer and hence poses an additional process step that has to be performed. Laser sources like Thulium fiber-lasers with a wavelength of around 2 μm enable the absorber-free welding of thermoplastic polymers and therefore promise to be a new source for the SLM of thermoplastic polymers as well as a possible adaption of the known Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) to plastics, the so called „Laser Plastic Deposition“ (LPD). In the present paper, the feasibility of a single-step LPD process using irradiation of a 1,94 μm Thulium fiber-laser is investigated through the manual deposition of unfilled and absorber-free polyamide-12 powder on polyamide-6 substrates. Powder material and the created structures are characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition to that, optical microscopy and computer tomography analysis (CT) are carried out and discussed for the created LPD structures. From the experiments, it is to be concluded that a single-step LPD process can be carried out using a 2 μm Thulium fiber-laser. •A novel approach for additive manufacturing of thermoplastic polymers is presented.•The absorber-free approach uses irradiation of a Thulium fiber-laser.•Polyamide-12 powder is deposited on top of and adherent to a polyamide-6 substrate.•The powder material is melted through single-step irradiation of the laser light.•The created structures show porosity.