Material composition and sintering behavior of PLA bound Ni718 in ambient conditions

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) has become an increasingly popular method for private consumers given its low capital cost. With the development of metal-polymer feedstock material, which can theoretically provide anyone with access to metal components with complex geometry at no machining costs, it is an attractive option. This is especially true for metal alloys that are difficult to produce and used in high end applications such as Ni718. However, the nature of a simple FFF manufacturing process may inhibit the benefits of using such material and must be taken into consideration. This work provides clear expectations of an exceptionally low-cost FFF method to print Ni718 followed by an ambient debinding and sintering regiments reaching 427°C and 1232°C, respectively, which adhere to the material supplier’s specifications. Produced specimens were characterized with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) equipped with an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) to both visually evaluate the sintering quality of the produced material and approximate the final material’s chemical composition. Results show that the final composition contains nearly 19% carbon and 10% oxygen by weight with little particle necking or sintering taking place limiting the use cases for such a material system.