High cycle fatigue properties of selective laser sintered parts in polyamide 12

Selective laser sintered parts in polyamide are increasingly being used in functional applications. The monotonic properties of these parts are well-known and documented. The cyclic material properties, on the other hand, are largely unknown. Therefore, in this paper a systematic analysis is made of fatigue properties and failure mechanisms of selective laser sintered parts subjected to fluctuating loading in tension/compression. Both plain and notched specimens are produced along perpendicular building directions. The fatigue behaviour of these parts is analysed and compared to injection moulded samples. In addition, the influence of the test frequency and the notch manufacturing method is studied.