Enhanced mechanical performance of fused filament fabrication copolyester by continuous carbon fiber in‐situ reinforcement

Abstract

As one of the most commonly used thermoplastics, polyester has rarely been used as the raw materials of 3D printing. However, copolyester obtained by copolymerization modifying polyester, such as Poly Ethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG), has been proven to be suitable for the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique in previous studies, but the mechanical performance of printed products is still poor. In this paper, 3D printed PETG is in‐situ reinforced by continuous carbon fiber (CCF), and the relationship between the process parameters and the mechanical performance of CCF/PETG is systematically investigated. The results show that the performance of 3D printed PETG is significantly enhanced by CCF in‐situ reinforcement due to the effectively impregnation of CCF. By optimizing process parameters, the tensile strength, flexural strength and flexural modulus of CCF/PETG are 597%, 293% and 650% of pure PETG, respectively, with a relatively low fiber mass fraction of 19.2 wt%. This paper demonstrates that CCF in‐situ reinforced 3D printed copolyester may be used in the manufacture of complex structural parts that require high mechanical performance in the engineering application.

Enhancement on the mechanical properties of 3D printing PEI composites via high thermal processing and fiber reinforcing

“…Among these reinforcements, CF has been widely used in the manufacture of light weight and high strength composite materials, 19,20 due to its advantages of high modulus, high strength and low thermal expansion coefficient. The mechanism of CF reinforced polymers is that CF can bear the load, and the polymer protects the fiber and transfer the stress to CF 21,22 . It is reported that the tensile strength of PEI was improved from 104 to 168 MPa with the content of 30 vol% CF 23 .…”

“…The mechanism of CF reinforced polymers is that CF can bear the load, and the polymer protects the fiber and transfer the stress to CF. 21,22 It is reported that the tensile strength of PEI was improved from 104 to 168 MPa with the content of 30 vol% CF. 23 While there are also some defects in printed CF enhanced materials.…”

How open‐stage melt crystallization affects tensile and shrinkage properties of 3D printed polypropylene

“…Consequently, another XY layer is printed and on completion of the print head or the platform again moves another layer up and the process continues until the whole component is constructed. Myriad of parameters, for example, nozzle temperature, print bed or platform temperature, print layer thickness, printing speed, and infill rate must be optimized to obtain warp‐free thermoplastic product in 3D mode 3 …”

“…Myriad of parameters, for example, nozzle temperature, print bed or platform temperature, print layer thickness, printing speed, and infill rate must be optimized to obtain warp-free thermoplastic product in 3D mode. 3 Isotactic polypropylene or PP is among the most popular thermoplastics currently in use for RP using FDM. There are adequate recent references available which show that the PP has been used as an integral component in many blends and composites for fundamental study in 3D processing.…”

Interfacial performance and build orientation of 3D‐printed poly(ether‐ketone‐ketone) reinforced by continuous carbon fiber

“…2,4,5 Continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites (CFRTPCs) prepared by FDM exhibit excellent mechanical performances, which can improve the customized level to a certain extent and will expand the application of FDM in the field of composites. 6,7 In the previous research, the thermoplastics used to prepare CFRTPCs by FDM are mainly polylactic acid (PLA), 1,8 polyamide (PA), [9][10][11] polypropylene (PP), 12 poly ethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), 13 poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK). [14][15][16] It is concentrated on thermoplastics with poor heat resistance and mechanical properties, which limit the applications.…”