Issue 49/2015 - Polyamide 6 powder boosts Polimotor-2 all-plastic engine

Solvay recently announced that the intake manifold portion
of the engine will be manufactured using a selective laser sintering (SLS) process in Polimotor-2, a new automotive all-plastic engine project.
Behind this cutting-edge technology, Sinterline, Technyl Polyamide 6 (PA6) powder from Solvay, contains 40% glass beads that can effectively improve the dimensional stability
of parts.

Sinterline polyamide 6 powder material is specially used in the manufacture
of a wide range of polyamide plastic parts suitable for 3D printing processes.
3D printing processes such as selective laser sintering can significantly shorten the design cycle and reduce processing costs, effectively improving the overall production efficiency, thereby significantly accelerating the speed of
product launch in the vehicle and parts manufacturing market.

The laser sintering process uses a high-precision laser scanner to apply energy to fuse SinterlineTechnyl polyamide 6 powder layer by layer, resulting in a three-dimensional component with excellent functionality and strong mechanical and heat resistance
.

The intake manifold of the Polimotor-2 engine is similar to the conventional automobile intake manifold that has been industrially produced and is injection molded with polyamide material: the wall thickness is 2~3 mm, and it can withstand a positive pressure
of 2~4 bar.

Parts printed with Sinterline Technyl polyamide 6 powder also exhibit stable performance
at thermal radiation temperatures up to 250°F (121°C) in conventional metal turbocharged engines.
（Crystal）