First pullout strength measurements of threads produced by selective laser sintering

In recent years the development of additive manufacturing methods allows the production of functional parts, rather than only prototypes. The Institute of Micro Technology and Medical Device Technology at TU München designs medical robots for the production with additive manufacturing method selective laser-sintering. With this method it is possible to produce a robot in just one day. However this new production method comes with new challenges. New design problems arise and novel solutions must be found. In this paper the production of laser-sintered threads is described and their mechanical properties are modelled. A new equation and data for the pullout strength of M4 to M8 metric threads are presented.