Additive manufacturing of thermoplastic matrix composites using fused deposition modeling: A comparison of two reinforcements

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling is a fast growing additive manufacturing technology with advantages of low cost, low operation temperature, consistent prototype accuracy, and flexible material change. Fiber-reinforced plastic composite parts have been developed by the fused deposition modeling process to improve the mechanical properties of fused deposition modeling-fabricated pure thermoplastic parts which cannot be used as load-bearing parts in the actual applications. However, porosity found at the fracture interfaces of fused deposition modeling-fabricated fiber-reinforced plastic composite parts may limit their potential for direct replacement in the functional applications. The problem may result from the larger length–diameter ratio of the chopped thin fibers used in fiber-reinforced plastic composite parts fabricating. One of the possible methods to reduce the porosity is employing small length–diameter ratio particles/flakes (such as graphite) instead of chopped thin fibers as reinforcements. However, mechanical performances of the graphite-reinforced thermoplastic composites are still unknown. In this article, comparisons on porosity and tensile properties between the specimens of carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic and graphite-reinforced thermoplastic fabricated by fused deposition modeling process were conducted in order to test the effects of reinforcements. Fracture interfaces of the specimens after tensile testing were observed.

The improvement of mechanical and thermal properties of polyamide 12 3D printed parts by fused deposition modelling

“…The main difference among these properties is based on the direction of the forces. Most of the previous literatures [1,2,10,33,34] normally presented tensile data as a fundamental material property in the design of thermoplastic polymer composites. However, the tensile strength data alone might be insufficient in real applications, since the load is usually derived from a combination of compressive and tensile strengths.…”

“…Therefore, minimising the gaps between the thread lines is crucial to obtain a satisfactory performance of the FDM part. Comparing the mechanical performance between the FDM PA12 and FDM ABS, the majority of studies reported a reduction of strength [1,4,6,21], after incorporated with fillers, albeit at much lower percentages. The improvement in mechanical properties of the FDM parts can typically be observed when the nano-sized fillers or fibres, were incorporated into the polymer matrix system [4,9,42,43].…”

“…FDM can develop intricate parts and components, without the need for human intervention. This technology has enabled product customisation for smallscale production, with polymers still being the most widely used materials in the FDM process, especially acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) [1,2], polylactic acid (PLA) [3] and poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) [4,5]. FDM technology has the potential to manufacture complex parts quickly and with the added advantage of being more cost-effective as compared to other conventional methods.…”

A Particle Element Approach for Modelling the 3D Printing Process of Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites

“…There are very limited data published for the extrusion nozzle and various feed rates and translational printing speeds are used in other research, therefore, in this study we adopt a print nozzle similar to, but ten times smaller than, those used in short fibre injection moulding [26]. The feed rate of V 1 = 30 mm/s and printing speed of V 2 = 40 mm/s in a similar range as those used in [12,27]. In the current study, the 3D printing is assumed to be processed in a constant high temperature without any solidification.…”

Mechanical and Thermomechanical Properties of Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastic Composite Fabricated Using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) Method, a Review

“…The build platform moves in upward and downward direction and nozzle movement is in 3 dimensional pattern. The continuous reinforcement of any other material into thermoplastic can be done by adding another spool and pass it into the nozzle for printing [2].…”