What is the minimum wall thickness of TPU SLS parts, and how to ensure its strength?
Publish Time: 2024-07-31
In TPU SLS technology, determining the minimum wall thickness of parts is a key issue, which not only affects the feasibility of forming parts, but also directly relates to the strength and practical application value of parts.
At present, by optimizing process parameters and material selection, the minimum wall thickness of TPU SLS parts can reach about 0.5 mm or even lower. However, to ensure that such a thin wall thickness still has sufficient strength, multiple factors need to be considered comprehensively.
First of all, the characteristics of the material are crucial. Selecting TPU materials with high toughness and good mechanical properties is the basis. High-quality TPU materials can still provide certain strength and tensile resistance in thinner conditions.
Accurate control of process parameters is also key. The reasonable combination of parameters such as laser power, scanning speed, and scanning spacing can affect the density of sintering and the bonding force between molecules. For example, appropriately increasing the laser power and reducing the scanning speed can increase the fusion between the sintered layers, thereby enhancing the overall strength of the parts.
In terms of design, a reasonable structural design can make up for the lack of strength caused by thin wall thickness. For example, adding reinforcing ribs, using arched or curved structures, etc., can effectively disperse stress and improve the bearing capacity of the parts.
In addition, post-processing processes can also improve strength. For example, heat treatment of sintered parts can further optimize the arrangement of molecular chains and enhance the cohesion of the material.
Take a small TPU component as an example, its wall thickness is designed to be 0.6 mm. By selecting high-quality TPU materials, carefully adjusting laser sintering parameters, and combining reasonable structural design, the final part can withstand the expected load and stress after testing, meeting the strength requirements of practical applications.
In short, to determine the minimum wall thickness of TPU SLS parts and ensure their strength, it is necessary to comprehensively consider and optimize multiple links such as materials, processes, design and post-processing. Only in this way can we ensure that the parts have reliable strength and performance while achieving thin-wall design to meet the needs of various application scenarios.
