DEVELOPMENT OF A 3D PRINTER FOR MULTI-MATERIAL APPLICATIONS: DESIGN OF A PROSTHETIC HAND

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing processes are gaining more popularity in different fields such as medical, aerospace, transportation, and energy. SLS, or Selective Laser Sintering, is considered to be one of the most accurate techniques. It is a 3D printing process known as powder bed fusion, which utilizes a laser to sinter powdered material. PCL(Polycaprolactone) and polyamide powder are typical polymer materials for SLS. The new design of the SLS printer for composite materials allows a wider range of materials to construct. The printer can simultaneously print from 1 to 4 materials by increasing the number of powder beds to four chambers. In this work, the conceptual design of the SLS-based 3D printer for multi-materials and the analysis of composite materials on the different objects are presented. In addition to test the reliability of this machine, the prosthetic hand design is introduced. The model includes the composite material printing on an SLS machine. The subtotal of the prosthetic hand is calculated.