Emerging Research in Conductive Materials for Fused Filament Fabrication: A Critical Review

Abstract

The progress of Industry 4.0 and the advancement of robotic design are revealing a significant gap in the capabilities of current manufacturing techniques and the selection of materials that are available in electronics. Present‐day electrical systems largely rely on metals, but there is a driving need to develop new electrically conductive objects with a wide range of material properties, including expanded flexibility and softness, and with increasingly complex geometries. Electrically conductive composites can replace traditional metal‐based systems. In particular, thermoplastic composites become electrically conductive with the incorporation of conductive fillers or polymers while retaining to a large extent the processability of the thermoplastic matrix. This is where fused filament fabrication (FFF), an additive manufacturing (AM) technique capable of processing a variety of thermoplastic‐matrix feedstock materials, can be leveraged to create electrically conductive objects with new functionalities. While there is an increasing number of publications describing the FFF of electrical objects such as sensors and circuits, there is no comprehensive review outlining the functioning mechanisms, drawbacks, and advantages of FFF as applied to conductive materials. The present review fills this lacuna by offering a critical analysis of the specific challenges and solutions to promote FFF of electrically conductive polymers and composites.

Advanced Composite Materials Utilized in FDM/FFF 3D Printing Manufacturing Processes: The Case of Filled Filaments

“…Researchers are persistently investigating innovative formulations and manufacturing methodologies to augment the conductivity of the aforementioned filaments and ameliorate their performance attributes. Furthermore, progress in post-processing techniques, such as annealing or surface modifications, present prospects for further augmenting the electrical characteristics of printed entities [ 98 , 99 ]. Figure 6 shows a 3D-printed item made out of conductive material.…”

Embedding Function within Additively Manufactured Parts: Materials Challenges and Opportunities

“…The filler on the surface of the polymer particles usually survives into the 3D part as a segregated network, which is particularly advantageous to lower the percolation threshold in electrically conductive composite parts. [17,18] A simple blend of filler particles and polymer pellets can also be used as feedstock, which has also been demonstrated with multiphase systems. [19] However, this may result in flowability issues or powder segregation.…”

Carbon Black Integrated Polylactic Acid Electrodes Obtained by Fused Deposition Modeling: A Powerful Tool for Sensing of Sulfanilamide Residues in Honey Samples

“…Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is an emerging technology that has been allowing the construction of low-cost and portable analytical devices for various purposes. − More specifically in electrochemistry, due to available conductive composite materials, − it has contributed to the large-scale manufacture of disposable electrodes in different designs − mainly when the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique is used. , In FDM process, 3D materials are produced using thermoplastic filaments that are heated, extruded, and deposited layer-by-layer on a heated platform . The performance of 3D-printed electrodes using the most affordable filament [carbon black integrated polylactic acid (CB/PLA)] is poor when compared with conventional electrodes discussed above; however, various strategies of surface treatment have been proposed to improve their electrochemical response.…”