Geometric Accuracy and Mechanical Behavior of PA6 Composite Curved Tubes Fabricated by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)

Abstract

Herein, the effect of processing parameters including infill pattern and reinforcement type on the dimensional accuracy of products manufactured by the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process as well as the mechanical performance is studied. The reinforcements used to manufacture the PA6 composite are carbon, Kevlar, and glass fibers. The compression properties of the stated composites are compared. The results show that the rectangular fill pattern is less deformed compared with triangular, hexagonal, and solid ones. However, the compression strength is decreased by changing the infill pattern from the solid infill to hexagonal, triangular, and rectangular. Although there is no significant difference in terms of compression behavior, the printed PA6 reinforced with carbon fiber which is deformed outward contrary to Kevlar and glass fibers, which are deformed inward. Finally, the results confirm that the selection of the appropriate types of reinforcements and infill patterns among the several available types during the printing process is effective in improving the mechanical properties and also in providing better geometrical quality of the surfaces and the consequent dimensional precision improvement of the parts printed by the FFF process.

Operational Performance and Energy Efficiency of MEX 3D Printing with Polyamide 6 (PA6): Multi-Objective Optimization of Seven Control Settings Supported by L27 Robust Design

“…Among the several methods of AM, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is a material extrusion (MEX) process involving layer-by-layer [9] melting of filament strands through a heated nozzle to create objects using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) data [6,10,11]. The impact of the processing variables, such as the infill pattern, on the mechanical performance and dimensional precision of items fabricated using the FFF technique has been investigated [12]. The energy used throughout the 3D printing of components is one of the research topics that have an impact on the sustainability of the AM method [2,13].…”

“…Numerous studies have been conducted to determine how the 3D printing factors influence the mechanical properties of the final component [26,33,34]. A crucial step in creating 3D geometries is choosing the appropriate infill pattern as well as the printing speed [12,35]. Christiyan et al [36] examined the impact of printing speed and layer height on composites consisting of ABS with hydrous magnesium silicate using the FFF process.…”

Effect of Extrusion Width and Layer Height on Hardness in Additive Manufacturing with Material Extrusion

“…Basically, the filament material is determined depending on the intended use of the prototype part to be produced. However, parameters such as infill density, infill pattern, nozzle temperature, layer height, raster angle and printing speed have the main influence on mechanical properties [4][5][6].…”