Composition and method for powder bed fusion

Abstract

A composition for use in powder bed fusion includes a thermoplastic powder that itself includes an induced crystalline polycarbonate or an induced crystalline polyetherimide. The thermoplastic powder is recycled powder, which means that it is recovered from a powder bed that had undergone a powder bed fusion process. Also described is a method of making an article, the method including: placing an induced crystalline polymeric (polycarbonate or polyetherimide) powder in a powder bed, fusing a portion of the induced crystalline polymeric powder in the powder bed, recovering a least a portion of the crystalline polymeric powder from the powder bed, wherein the recovered powder is not fused, placing the recovered induced crystalline polymeric powder in a second powder bed, and fusing at least a portion of the recovered induced crystalline polymeric powder in the second powder bed to form an amorphous polymer article.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.