| HS Code | 307578 |
| Material Type | Polystyrene |
| Color | White |
| Density | 1.04 g/cm³ |
| Bulk Density | 0.60 g/cm³ |
| Tensile Strength | 44 MPa |
| Tensile Modulus | 1586 MPa |
| Elongation At Break | 15% |
| Flexural Strength | 69 MPa |
| Flexural Modulus | 1724 MPa |
| Izod Impact Strength Notched | 21 J/m |
| Heat Deflection Temperature At 0 45 Mpa | 82 °C |
| Hardness Shore D | 75 |
| Particle Size | 50 µm |
| Layer Thickness | 0.10 mm |
As an accredited ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer is supplied in a 1 kg sealed foil bag within a labeled, protective outer carton. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL container loading of ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer: palletized, shrink-wrapped, labeled, and securely stowed for safe ocean freight. |
| Shipping | ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer is shipped as a non-hazardous, combustible solid powder. It is not regulated for transport by DOT, IMDG, or IATA. Use sealed, labeled containers at ambient temperature, protected from moisture, heat, sparks, and flames. Avoid dust inhalation and follow local shipping regulations. |
| Storage | Store ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, heat, sparks, flames, and incompatible materials. Keep containers tightly sealed, upright, clearly labeled, and in original packaging. Protect from moisture, dust, and temperature extremes. Do not store near food, drink, or animal feed. Observe shelf life, SDS, and local regulations. Ideal temperature: 15–30°C. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 12 months when stored unopened in original packaging in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. |
In ceramic shell investment casting, ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer is used as a sacrificial pattern material in the same upstream layout where wax tree assembly and slurry dipping already govern daily throughput. The polymer is formed on powder-bed fusion systems with layer thicknesses from 0.100 mm to 0.150 mm; after breakout and depowdering, the pattern is joined to a wax gating tree with low-viscosity cyanoacrylate adhesive or a filled hot-melt wax. The joint is filleted with a wax pen heated below 90 °C to avoid local softening of the sintered PS surface. The primary process conflict in this segment is the thermal expansion mismatch between the polymer pattern and the ceramic shell during the burnout ramp, not the initial laser fusion step. If the shell is heated faster than the pattern can melt and exit through the sprue and flash vent, internal pressure can crack the shell before the styrenic polymer reaches decomposition temperature. Foundries therefore stage burnout in multiple dwell segments, with a first plateau near 200 °C to remove the wax sprue and gate body, a second plateau between 400 °C and 500 °C to volatilize the PS 200 pattern, and a final oxidizing hold above 900 °C to reduce carbon-bearing residue inside the shell. The pattern lot is checked for ignition residue using ASTM D5630, for dimensional stability by ASTM E831 thermomechanical analysis, and for melt flow drift by ASTM D1238 at 200 °C/5.0 kg. The low residual ash of unfilled PS after oxidizing burnout reduces inclusion defects in aluminum, copper-alloy, and steel castings, but every lot must be verified because pigment or additive content affects ignition residue. All pattern-handling fixtures should be aluminum or acetal; direct contact with uncured polyester or styrenated resin is to be avoided because the monomer attacks the PS surface. For export documentation, the powder is assessed under EU REACH as a polymer; manufactured articles containing PS 200 are outside the EU RoHS scope unless electrical or electronic components are added. Industrial handling must follow regional VOC rules during burnout because styrene monomer and aromatic hydrocarbons are emitted.
The following lot release matrix is used at incoming inspection to track process capability; exact pass/fail limits are set by the end user because the powder supplier’s technical bulletin may not include all downstream criteria.
| Property area | Test method | Condition or specimen |
|---|---|---|
| Melt flow drift | ASTM D1238 | 200 °C / 5.0 kg |
| Tensile strength and modulus | ASTM D638-14 | Type I specimen, 5 mm/min |
| Flexural properties | ASTM D790-17 | Three-point bend, span-to-depth ratio 16:1 |
| Heat deflection temperature | ASTM D648-18 | 0.455 MPa loading |
| Ignition residue | ASTM D5630 | Oxidizing atmosphere to constant mass |
| Glass transition | ASTM E1356 | Dynamic scan at 10 °C/min |
| Density | ASTM D792-20 | Displacement method at 23 °C |
| Moisture content | ASTM D6980-17 | Loss on drying in desiccant vial |
Pattern assembly yield in multi-part PS 200 builds depends on joint preparation more than on laser scan parameters. Sintered surfaces retain a fine layer of partially fused powder that acts as a boundary lubricant unless removed from the bond area with a dry fibrous wipe or a low-pressure nitrogen gun. The most common industrial adhesive for PS-to-PS joints is ethyl cyanoacrylate; the bond is tested with ASTM D3163 on lap-shear coupons cut from the same build, and the fracture mode is recorded as cohesive substrate failure or adhesive failure. Bond-line thickness under hand pressure typically settles between 0.05 mm and 0.15 mm. Cyanoacrylate reaches handling strength in 60 s to 180 s, but full solvent resistance is not reached until the joint has aged for 24 h at 23 °C ± 2 °C. Solvent bonding is an alternative for large flat gates and runner profiles; this method uses a chlorinated solvent applied by brush or capillary needle. The solvent softens the surface layer, and the parts are clamped with uniform pressure below 0.02 MPa to prevent squeeze-out defects. After evaporative drying, the joint is stable, but the process demands explosion-rated extraction. Dimensional drift after solvent bonding is measured against ASME Y14.5-2018 datum reference frames, and joint offset is held to less than 0.25 mm on free-form surfaces by using alignment pins and a mirror gauge. When bonded trees are dipped in ceramic slurry, joint failure occurs most often at the interface between the adhesive fillet and the sintered PS skin. Heavy gate bosses therefore require mechanical interlocking or a two-component epoxy fillet rated for the slurry chemistry. Amine-based hardeners in some epoxy systems can attack the PS skin, so epoxy fillets are tested for compatibility in a 24 h coupon exposure before production use.
When a sealed PS 200 master is used for room-temperature vulcanizing silicone molding, the limiting control is not the silicone cure itself but the moment of demolding. The master is coated with a solvent-free acrylic or epoxy-compatible sealer to close the interlayer porosity that would otherwise trap silicone and tear the mold surface at demold. After sealing, the master is fixed in a mold frame, and addition-cure RTV silicone is poured under vacuum degassing at -0.9 bar gauge for 5 min to 10 min. Cure is maintained at 23 °C ± 2 °C for 16 h to 24 h. Because addition-cure silicones exhibit low linear shrinkage, commonly in the range of 0.1 % to 0.3 %, toolmakers compensate the SLS build file by a scale factor determined from cavity verification, not from a fixed constant. The cavity is inspected against the CAD master using a coordinate measuring machine; dimensional tolerances are evaluated under ISO 286-2 or equivalent company-specific general tolerances. The main failure mode is backdraft lock when vertical master walls are not drafted at least 1° per side. Sintered PS surfaces have low mechanical strength in shear, and excessive demolding force can break the master inside the silicone. The operational boundary is the heat deflection temperature of the PS matrix as determined by ASTM D648 at 0.455 MPa; RTV systems that require post-cure above this temperature are not compatible with the master unless a secondary aluminum support frame is used to carry the load. A variant of this segment is the production of wax injection cores and cavities from the silicone tool, where the PS 200 master is sacrificed. In that route, the wax injection temperature must be kept below the same HDT limit if the master is used as a reusable core, a constraint that does not exist in the sacrificial pattern route.
The sintered insert is used in vacuum forming only when the sheet contact temperature does not exceed the heat deflection threshold of the polymer. PS 200 inserts are generated with a deliberate trade-off between surface sealing and gas permeability. The raw sintered surface has interconnected microvoids that assist vacuum bleed, but the same porosity absorbs moisture and can hold sheet residue. Toolmakers seal the forming face with a thin acrylic or two-component urethane coat and then drill or laser-cut vent channels of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm diameter at rib intersections. The back side of the insert is capped with an aluminum base plate and edge-clamped into a vacuum frame. Surface temperature is monitored with a contact thermocouple at the highest draw ratio zone; the mold face is held below 80 °C for unfilled styrenic material, and the sheet is heated separately in an infrared station. The vacuum level in the box is pulled to -0.85 bar gauge, and the forming cycle is shorter than 6 s for thin sheet below 2 mm. The insert is rejected if the surface coating delaminates or cracks after 25–50 cycles, which is common when deep-draw geometry produces sharp radii below 2 mm. Published test data for this specific configuration under production-scale vacuum forming is limited; cycle life must be validated on the actual sheet material and mold geometry. This application is strictly for prototype and short-run try-out tooling; continuous production molds require aluminum-filled epoxy or machined aluminum. Dimensional verification of the insert is done before coating with a CMM and compared against the CAD surface using ISO/ASTM 52921 coordinate terminology. Moisture conditioning of the SLS insert follows ISO 291 atmosphere at 23 °C/50 % RH for at least 48 h before dimensional inspection to separate thermally induced drift from hygroscopic expansion.
In dimensional verification of pilot assemblies, PS 200 blanks are machined into lightweight check fixtures that carry a non-marring contact face. The sintered polymer is rough-machined with low-rpm carbide tooling, then finished with a depth of cut below 0.2 mm to prevent edge breakout at layer lines. Datum pads, pin holes, and clamping footprints are machined after the block has been thermally stabilized in a calibrated oven. The stabilization soak is maintained at 10 °C to 15 °C below the measured glass transition temperature from ASTM E1356; this reduces residual stresses introduced by the layer-by-layer thermal history. After the fixture is assembled with hardened steel bushings and CMM reference spheres, the contact surfaces are checked for flatness with a dial indicator. The fixture is evaluated under ISO 10360-2 for CMM performance, while part acceptance uses ASME Y14.5-2018 geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. The main operational limit is long-term creep under clamped load. A PS-based fixture holding a spring-loaded locator must be periodically recalibrated, and the clamp force is kept below the compressive stress at which cold flow becomes measurable in a 24 h static test. This is not a substitute for aluminum or tooling board in high-duty assembly lines; the PS 200 fixture is assigned to short engineering builds, pilot runs, and supplier correlation checks. Moisture uptake from ambient air changes the mass of the fixture by less than 0.1 % after 48 h at 23 °C/50 % RH, but dimensional drift is still measured because SLS porosity and machining stress combine in thin sections.
For plaster mold casting, PS 200 patterns shift the process bottleneck to investment burnout rather than pattern printing. In this segment the pattern is placed in a steel flask, surrounded by a slurry of calcium sulfate investment, and left to set under vacuum to remove bubbles. The flask is then transferred to a furnace where the styrenic pattern is eliminated and the mold is preheated to the casting temperature of the target alloy. The critical constraint is that calcium sulfate loses structural water above 120 °C and converts to anhydrite; heating too quickly through the 300 °C to 500 °C window creates steam pressure and cracks the block. A practical schedule raises the flask at less than 2 °C/min to 700 °C, with a dwell of 1 h to 2 h before casting. The low residual ash of unfilled PS 200 is checked via ASTM D5630; foundries also track burnout completeness by measuring the total organic carbon of the mold cavity before pouring using a carbon test or a burn-off coupon. This application is common for aluminum and copper-alloy castings where fine detail is more important than mold reusability. The principal incompatibility is with high-lead copper alloys and magnesium; high-lead alloys can overheat the mold face, while magnesium requires an inert cover gas that complicates the plaster route. Plaster molds cast from PS 200 patterns are limited to low- to medium-volume parts because the mold is destroyed at extraction; the economics are driven by pattern cost per cavity and the ability to grow multiple patterns in a single SLS build chamber. Dimensional compensation in this route is cumulative: the SLS shrink, the plaster setting expansion, and the metal solidification contraction are measured together using a test wedge or step bar before production job files are frozen.
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ALM PS 200 Prototyping Polymer is identified as a laser-sintering-grade styrenic thermoplastic supplied as free-flowing powder for polymer powder bed fusion systems. The product occupies a prototyping niche distinct from production-grade polyamide 12 and glass-filled polyamide powders, because its primary value lies in low-ash sacrificial patterns and visual/fit test articles rather than load-bearing end-use parts. The manufacturer characterises the material by nominal density, residual moisture, particle size distribution, and ash residue. Exact numerical values are lot-dependent and are supplied on the certificate of analysis. Specifications are typically verified against ISO 13320:2020 for particle size distribution, ASTM D5630-22 or ISO 3451-1:2019 for ash, and ISO 15512:2019 for moisture. Mechanical data generated from laser-sintered test plaques are reported by the supplier using ASTM D638-14 and ASTM D790-17; end users perform incoming material verification because mechanical values shift with build orientation, layer thickness, and post-build cooling rate.
Lot acceptance for the material normally follows a reference matrix rather than a single physical property. Particle size distribution is a critical lot-acceptance variable because fines below the OEM-recommended minimum can accelerate powder bed densification, reduce flow energy, and create airborne respirable fractions. Laser diffraction per ISO 13320:2020 typically reports D10, D50, and D90 on every certificate. The ratio of D90 to D10 is used by process engineers as a powder span indicator; a widening span can correlate with recoater streak defects and non-uniform layer packing. Bulk density measured under ASTM D1895 is also monitored because changes in bulk density shift the powder layer surface energy budget for a constant laser parameter set. A lower bulk density may require an increase in scanned energy density to achieve the same degree of particle coalescence, but excessive energy input will lower melt viscosity and produce part growth in z-height.
| Verification domain | Reference method | Purpose in lot acceptance |
|---|---|---|
| Particle size distribution | ISO 13320:2020 / ASTM B822 | Detects fines drift and recoater bridging tendency |
| Residual moisture | ISO 15512:2019 | Confirms powder feed consistency and electrostatic control |
| Ash content | ASTM D5630-22 / ISO 3451-1:2019 | Confirms suitability for sacrificial pattern burnout |
| Tensile properties | ASTM D638-14 | Verifies printed plaque strength against supplier data |
| Flexural properties | ASTM D790-17 | Confirms stiffness on printed bars |
| Heat deflection temperature | ASTM D648-18 at 0.455 MPa | Establishes service temperature ceiling |
On production lines, the first observable process variable is usually powder flow, not mechanical strength. Production experience with styrenic powders of this general class on floor-level additive manufacturing lines indicates that powder feed consistency is more sensitive to fines content and electrostatic charge than to ambient temperature alone. Hopper bridging and recoater streak defects have been observed on systems that receive material from opened bags without sieving. The powder should be screened through the machine supplier’s recommended mesh before reintroduction, and virgin/aged powder ratios should follow the laser powder bed fusion OEM’s feedstock refresh protocol. Because published data for the recycled-powder degradation behavior of ALM PS 200 is limited, production lots should be sampled after successive build cycles and tested for melt-flow stability under ISO 1133-1:2022 against the virgin reference.
On enclosed CO₂ laser powder bed fusion machines, the effective process window for styrenic prototyping powders is not defined solely by nominal laser power; build chamber temperature, scan spacing, beam compensation, and layer height interact with the polymer’s amorphous softening behavior. Operators often derive the working bed temperature from the differential scanning calorimetry glass transition curve of the virgin material under ISO 11357-2:2020. A bed temperature set slightly below the glass transition onset reduces curl and improves geometric fidelity in thin-wall sections, while an excessively high bed temperature accelerates powder caking and degrades recyclability. The manufacturer typically supplies machine-proven parameter sets for ALM PS 200 powder; these parameter sets should be transferred only with identical beam diameter and gas-flow configuration. Published data for the specific configuration is limited, so first-article validation should include a sacrificial lattice or tensile bar array before committing to build jobs.
First-article builds on production floor equipment are usually run with a layer thickness between 0.08 mm and 0.12 mm, but this is a machine-class characteristic and does not substitute for the OEM parameter sheet. Off-the-shelf laser power for polymer powder bed fusion systems in this class commonly spans 30 W to 70 W at the 10.6 µm wavelength. The effective energy density at the powder surface is a better process control variable than raw power; operators should log build chamber infrared pyrometer readings every layer for deviation from the target zone. Recoater pause events of more than a few seconds can create visible horizontal banding in large cross-sections. Batch-to-batch variation in powder bulk density or flowability may require adjustment of the recoater speed or feed hopper vibration amplitude.
When ALM PS 200 is employed as a sacrificial pattern for investment casting, the controlling quality variables are shell drainage, burnout residue, and shell-interface surface reproduction. Unlike filled polyamide powders that can leave inorganic fiber residues, an unfilled styrenic prototyping material is generally specified for low ash after burnout under ASTM D5630-22. Production foundries typically stage the flash-fire or gas-fired burnout cycle to evacuate styrenic degradation products through a negative-pressure vent before the shell reaches wax-removal or casting temperature. Sufficient vent area and shell permeability are necessary because incomplete pyrolysis can produce carbonaceous residues that appear as surface inclusions on the cast part. Operators report that thin-shell ceramic systems are more sensitive to residual monomer volatilisation than to the absolute ash percentage, and pattern walls below about 1 mm require increased support in the shell-building slurry to prevent flotation or distortion.
Foundry pattern construction often includes hollow internal structures to reduce material consumption and promote faster burnout. In such configurations, the shell must resist hydrostatic pressure from the ceramic slurry, and the low-density core must not trap residual gas. Blind cavities are undesirable because unmelted or partially fused powder can become trapped and expand during shell firing. Venting holes and drain paths should be added to closed hollow sections. Pattern sealing with an appropriate wax or water-based sealant is standard before slurry dipping because the porous surface of a laser-sintered styrenic part can entrap air and reduce shell adhesion. The sealant must be compatible with both the pattern and the primary ceramic slurry; silicone-containing release agents are generally avoided in ceramic shell processing because they can disrupt subsequent stucco build-up.
Differences among ALM PS 200, polyamide 12 laser-sintering powders, and vat photopolymer resins are most visible in the process-to-part property chain. Polyamide 12 grades are semicrystalline, with a distinct melting peak that supports higher service temperatures and ductile failure under ASTM D638-14 tensile loading; however, their moisture uptake and dimensional drift in humid environments are higher. High-temperature photopolymer resins can produce smoother as-built sidewalls and finer detail through 0.025 mm or 0.05 mm native layer heights, but they often exhibit limited remelt capability in sacrificial casting applications and may leave substantial residue when burned out. ALM PS 200 occupies the middle ground where clean burnout, low moisture sensitivity, and process stability are prioritized over tensile toughness and high-temperature performance. This differentiation should be confirmed by comparative test plaques built in identical orientations on the target machine, with measurements under ASTM D638-14, ASTM D790-17, and ASTM D648-18.
Surface roughness of laser-sintered styrenic parts is dominated by the powder particle size and the boundary scanning path rather than by the bulk material chemistry. Laser-sintered surfaces are typically harder to finish than machined ABS because the particulate surface creates microporosity that can entrap paint primer or release agent. Sanding, vapor smoothing, and bead blasting are used depending on the end-use requirement. Vapour smoothing of styrenic parts should be evaluated for solvent uptake, dimensional drift, and loss of fine feature edges; the process uses a controlled solvent atmosphere and must be performed under local exhaust regulations. Glass bead blasting with a pressure appropriate for the part wall thickness can remove loose powder from recesses without excessive edge rounding. Thick sections can tolerate higher blasting energy, while walls below 1 mm and unattached bosses should be masked or processed with lower intensity.
Additive manufacturing dimensional control for styrenic prototyping powders requires separate x/y and z compensation because the thermal history is anisotropic. X/y shrinkage is dominated by the collapse of powder voids and polymer solidification at the laser scan line, while z shrinkage is influenced by layer consolidation, bed temperature, and part cross-section. Process engineers build a qualification artifact with pockets, bosses, thin walls, and holes at known spacing; measurements are compared with coordinate measuring machine data under ISO 10360-2. The z-axis values are used to scale the CAD model before production. If build chamber temperature drifts by more than the control band specified by the machine OEM, the z-scale correction is no longer valid for large flat surfaces. Published data specific to ALM PS 200 on high-resolution volumetric compensation is limited; therefore, the first article must contain enough reference features to establish the local scale factors.
Although styrenic polymers are less hygroscopic than polyamides, condensation can form on powder surfaces during storage in uncontrolled environments. Condensed surface water changes triboelectric charging, leading to uneven recoater deposition and ring-shaped halo defects on part upper skins. If the powder has been stored in a cold warehouse and transferred to a warm build room, it should be allowed to equilibrate inside the sealed container before opening. The exact equilibration time is a function of container size and room RH; process engineers can use surface moisture analysis under ISO 15512:2019 and bulk flow energy testing to determine whether drying is required.
During laser processing, styrenic polymers may emit trace levels of styrene monomer and other volatile organic degradation species. The workplace exposure limit for styrene is regulated by national occupational exposure frameworks, not by the material supplier. Engineering controls should include local exhaust ventilation at the laser machine and powder sieving station, and the powder collection system should be rated for combustible dust under local electrical codes. The minimum ignition energy and dust explosion Kst values for ALM PS 200 are not published in the summary public literature; end users must obtain the supplier safety data sheet and consult EU ATEX or NFPA 652 guidance before designing powder handling equipment.
Build chamber powder seals, planar heat zones, and gas filtration units require preventive maintenance at intervals specified by the machine manufacturer. Drift in the heated bed thermocouple or pyrometer should be detected by a monthly calibration check using a traceable blackbody source. If the pyrometer emits a temperature offset, the polymer may process at a bed condition outside the intended thermal window even though the machine display remains in range. This failure mode is particularly important for amorphous styrenic materials because their sintering window is narrower than semicrystalline nylon and depends on the approach to the glass transition.
ALM PS 200 is supplied in sealed moisture-barrier containers; shelf life is set by the manufacturer on the basis of additive migration and embrittlement, not only moisture absorption. Because the polymer is amorphous, oxidative degradation can occur at elevated warehouse temperatures and under UV exposure. Opened containers should be kept closed between uses, and material removed from the build chamber should not be returned to the virgin container without sieving. The reuse ratio is determined by lot and machine; published data specific to aluminum-filled or glass-filled grades does not transfer directly to unfilled styrenic powder. Regulatory documentation should be requested to confirm REACH registration status, CLP notification, and any RoHS restrictions for the target market.
When ALM PS 200 is used for functional prototypes that will be painted and exposed to sunlight for more than 2 weeks, a UV-protective clear coat is required; unpainted styrenic surfaces can yellow and become brittle under continuous UV exposure. The material should not be used in applications requiring sustained solvent resistance to aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, or chlorinated cleaning agents, because styrenic thermoplastics are susceptible to stress crazing and softening. If painted or sealed prototypes are required, adhesion testing under ASTM D3359-17 is recommended after surface preparation. No food-contact or implant-grade designation should be inferred without a written compliance statement from the supplier under the applicable FDA 21 CFR or EU Plastics Regulation; the product is sold as an industrial prototyping feedstock.
