Quasicrystal-polymer composites for additive manufacturing technology

Abstract

We present a new niche application of quasicrystalline powders that leads to a commercially successful development of polymer-matrix composites. The process is based upon selective laser sintering, which is one of the current most powerful additive manufacturing technologies in use in the mechanical industries. Characteristics of the materials produced, such as porosity, friction and wear against hard steel, are evaluated and compared to the state of the art. Insight into the production of metal-matrix composites, using a variant of the technology, is also given.