TY - JOUR A1 - Kuehn, Cornelius A1 - Mehl, Oliver A1 - Laumer, Tobias A1 - Witt, Gerd T1 - Comparison between the optical properties of injection molded and additive manufactured components JF - Procedia CIRP N2 - Fused Layer Manufacturing (FLM) is an additive technology based on polymer material extrusion. Due to variations in temperature during the manufacturing process and the resulting stress between the stacked layers, the final parts show anisotropic mechanical properties. One possible approach for their reduction is the immediate local preheating of the surface via laser radiation. At first, our research examines the influence of laser parameters as wavelength, power, velocity and area of impact for the preheating of the surface. In addition, an overview of possible parameter combinations is given based on the selection of raw materials, its colors, thicknesses and the manufacturing process. Initially, the absorption level of the materials regarding the emitted wavelength is detected using a spectrophotometer. Subsequently, preheating tests are conducted with different laser types while the temperature is determined by a thermal camera. The selected laser type is planned to get mounted on a prototype-machine for further in-situ preheating experiments on FLM parts during the manufacturing process. KW - additive manufacturing KW - FLM-Printing KW - injection molding KW - Laser assisted processes KW - Optical properties KW - Polymers KW - Preheating Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2018.08.106 VL - 74 SP - 259 EP - 263 PB - Elsevier ER -