An assessment of thermosetting infiltrate in powder-based composites made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

Rapid prototyping for material deposition or additive manufacturing has been widely used for short time production of parts with complex geometry in small series. The three-dimensional printing process needs post-processing to improve the strength, stiffness and/or surface finish of the parts. Printed parts in pristine condition are generally very brittle with a porous structure, so infiltrates have been introduced to improve their mechanical and physical characteristics. This work investigates the effect of two infiltrates, epoxy polymer and cyanoacrylate, under a vacuum pressure system on the mechanical properties of powder-based composites made by three-dimensional printing. Samples printed under pristine and infiltrated conditions were tested under tensile, flexural, compressive and impact loadings. The infiltrated samples achieved superior mechanical properties, especially when the epoxy polymer was applied via a vacuum system. The microstructural analysis showed that the infiltrates were not able to penetrate the entire sample, revealing a porous structure in the centre, mainly when the cyanoacrylate was used. The epoxy polymer infiltrate was able to substantially increase the mechanical performance of three-dimensional samples, being a promising material when higher structural requirements are required.

Investigating mechanical and thermo-physical properties of binder jet 3D printed elements using a statistical experiment approach

“…The authors concluded that a higher surface area under the hardened epoxy infiltrates results in increased load capacity of the sample. Lizardo et al (2019) infiltrated using epoxy polymer and cyanoacrylate under a vacuum pressure system. The samples infiltrated under vacuum with epoxy polymer achieved better mechanical strength.…”

3D Printing of polymer composites: A short review

“…Nowadays, various conventional manufacturing technologies for the PMCs are being replaced with the 3DP owing to the availability of the better process control and feasibility of precise positioning of the reinforcements in later. Some of the recent publications even explored the feasibility of using reinforced thermoset polymers for demanding applications . However, use of a viscous feedstock, because of the presence of the fillers, is a big challenge as such material systems often demand parametric optimizations or replacement of the certain parts, accordingly.…”

“…Some of the recent publications even explored the feasibility of using reinforced thermoset polymers for demanding applications. 129,130 However, use of a viscous feedstock, because of the presence of the fillers, is a big challenge as such material systems often demand parametric optimizations or replacement of the certain parts, accordingly. Moreover, it is difficult to conclude that whether the applications, as highlighted in the main text of the review, will receive commercialization certifications or will always be confined with the research and development laboratories.…”