Additive manufacturing (AM) has increased its field of application, not only for prototypes but also for final parts. Therefore, the need to study new materials is currently growing. This paper aims to study the effect of the printing parameters used in two different thermoplastic elastomers (PEBA 90A and TPU 98A) subjected to tensile tests, evaluating a competent alternative to the currently most used 3D printed materials. To achieve it, a full factorial design experiment is applied to analyze the influence on the tensile responses of two printing parameters: the layer height and the fill density. In addition, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) is used to describe the relations among the parameters and the mechanical responses obtained. Moreover, assessment of damping properties was done. Results show that each thermoplastic elastomer should be studied separately, although the proposed methodology can be used for each material independently of their nature. Finally, a correlation between the printing parameters and the mechanical behavior of TPU 98A and PEBA 90A was found: the layer height and the infill are statistically influential parameters for both materials.
Objective. We aim to characterize the viscoelastic behavior of Polyether-Block-Amide (PEBA 90A), provide reference values for the parameters of a constitutive model for the simulation of mechanical behaviors, and paying attention to the influence of the manufacturing conditions. Methods. Uniaxial relaxation tests of filaments of PEBA were used to determine the values of the parameters of a Prony series for a Quasi-Linear Visco-Elastic (QLVE) model. Additional, fast cyclic loading tests were used to corroborate the adequacy of the model under different test criteria in a second test situation. Results. The QLVE model predicts the results of the relaxation tests very accurately. In addition, the behavior inferred from this model fits very well with the measurements of fast cyclic loading tests. The viscoelastic behavior of PEBA under small strain polymer fits very well to a six-parameter QLVE model.
Three-dimensional printing technologies are growing additive manufacturing techniques in both the industrial and private sectors. Due to the large number of possible applications for parts built through this technique and the higher standards required for the final products, the need to study new materials increases as a means of delivering innovation into the sector. This paper aims to characterize a polyamide thermoplastic elastomer (polyether block amide) used in the material extrusion technique. Polyether block amide is a material that, among others, could have applications in the field of biomechanics thanks to the combination of high flexibility and relatively high strength. In order to study the behavior of the material after its processing, two controlled printing parameters (layer height and infill density) are related with the resulting mechanical properties measured through tensile testing. A factorial design of experiments is applied to conduct the experimental executing. Once all specimens are printed and tested, an analysis of variance test is processed to analyze the statistical influence of the considered parameters on the material behavior. Consequently, the recommended values for three-dimensional printing of the material are determined in order to obtain the best tensile mechanical properties. The results obtained demonstrate that the Young's modulus can be increased by using a fill density of 75% and a layer height of 0.3 mm. However, regarding the yield strength, there is not a big difference between 50% and 75% infill between layer heights of 0.25 and 0.3 mm.
Thermoplastic elastomeric materials are processable through 3D printing. These materials demonstrate excellent mechanical properties, along with good flexibility. A better understanding of the creation of bonds between the filaments of these copolymers is still needed. When extruded, these materials have shown to have a different behavior compared to commonly known thermoplastic materials. The methodology, hereby presented, relies on the tensile tests of 3D-printed samples of two thermoplastic elastomers based on olefin: TPO 90A and TPO 96A. In order to study the effect of printing parameters on the mechanical behavior of the samples, these have been manufactured following a full factorial design of experiments. Statistical influences were evaluated with an analysis of variance. Layer height and fill density were the variable parameters. Eventually, these two parameters were shown to have a significant effect on the mechanical properties studied (Young’s modulus and yield strength). Once all the results were analyzed, the presented methodology was applied to another set of specimens. These had been manufactured with a different printer and with the same material but colored. The analysis of variance showed that, although the mechanical properties were affected by the color pigments, the trends of this analysis and the recommended manufacturing values did not vary. The results showed that when working with thermoplastic elastomers and in order to maximize Young’s modulus and yield strength, a 0.3-mm layer height and a 75% fill density should be selected.
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