Influence of the filler–matrix adhesion and the effects of conditioning on tensile properties of laser-sintered parts built with polyamide–glass bead dry blends

In this work, the influence of the filler–matrix adhesion on the tensile properties of laser-sintered parts built with Polyamide 613 filled with glass beads was investigated. For this purpose, dry blends of glass beads with and without organosilane coupling agents and polyamide powder were prepared and processed into tensile specimens on an EOS P396 laser sintering system. The samples were tested both in the dry state and after an accelerated conditioning in a climate chamber. Furthermore, finite element method (FEM) simulations were performed to model the extreme cases of optimum adhesion and no adhesion. By correlating the tensile tests with the simulation results and by analyzing the fracture surfaces, it was shown that the filler–matrix adhesion is sufficient in the dry state but is strongly degraded by conditioning. Even the presence of various organosilane thin films could not prevent a strong deterioration of the filler–matrix adhesion and the associated deterioration of the mechanical properties. Since a comparison with an injection-molded sample of the same polymer filler combination shows identical behavior after conditioning, it is assumed that this problem is not limited to additively manufactured parts.