Patent ID: 8420001

Claim:
A process for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object from a polymer in powder form by means of selective electromagnetic irradiation sintering, the process comprising the steps of: (i) selecting a powder comprising a polyaryletherketone (PAEK) polymer or copolymer having a melt viscosity in a range of 0.2 to 1.0 kN*s/m 2 ; (ii) subjecting the powder comprising the PAEK polymer or copolymer of step (i) to selective sintering by means of electromagnetic radiation to form the object; and (iii) after completion of the object, cooling said object from a temperature which is 1-50° C. lower than a melting temperature T m of the polymer or copolymer comprised in the powder to a glass transition temperature T g of the polymer or copolymer comprised in the powder at a cooling rate of 0.01-10° C./min., wherein the final crystallinity of the manufactured three-dimensional object is within a range of 5 to 45%.