Mechanical properties of 3D parts fabricated by fused deposition modeling: Effect of various fillers in polylactide

Abstract

Weak mechanical strength and serious mechanical anisotropy are two key limiting factors for three‐dimensional (3D) parts prepared by fused deposition modeling (FDM) in industrial applications. In this work, we investigated the relationships between mechanical properties and surface quality of FDM parts with the properties of materials used. Three kinds of polylactide (PLA) filaments, composed of the same PLA matrix but different fillers (carbon fibers and talc), were used to prepare FDM specimens. Due to the nature of FDM process, FDM parts exhibited tensile properties weaker and more anisotropic than their injection‐molding counterparts. The presence of fillers affected the tensile properties of FDM parts, especially the degree of mechanical anisotropy. It is found that the interlayer bond governing the mechanical performance of FDM parts was improved since the fillers added in the polymer materials facilitates the molecular diffusion across the bond interface. Also, the surface quality of FDM parts varied with fillers. Neat PLA parts exhibited surface quality superior to the 3D parts printed with composites filaments. This work is believed to provide highlights on the development of polymer composites filament and improvement of mechanical properties of FDM parts. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47824.

FDM-Based 3D Printing of Polymer and Associated Composite: A Review on Mechanical Properties, Defects and Treatments

“…A composite is a combination of different materials that are used to develop a material with improved functional properties. The main reason to develop composite materials in the 3D printing industry is to achieve better mechanical properties and various optical, thermal and electrical functionalities that are not attainable by pure polymer [ 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 ]. In a composite, one or more materials act as the reinforcing element, while another material acts as the matrix or binding material.…”

Rice straw powder/polylactic acid biocomposites for three-dimensional printing

“…15 In a typical fused deposition modeling process, the thermoplastic filament is extruded through a heated nozzle according to a prescribed pattern then deposited onto a platform. 14 A large variety of thermoplastic materials, including thermoplastics [16][17][18] and their composites, 15,19,20 are available for fused deposition modeling process.…”

“…As one kind of additively manufacturing technology, fused deposition modeling is currently the most commonly used 3D printing based on a computer-aided design (CAD) model and computer controlled software over the last few years due to its short design-to-manufacturing cycle, low material waste, versatility, simplicity, and potential applicability of the method. 13,14 Fused deposition modeling enables a straightforward manufacture of complex-shaped samples and a prototyping or tool manufacture for many areas such as in automotive, aeronautics, construction, biomedical device, and health care. 15 In a typical fused deposition modeling process, the thermoplastic filament is extruded through a heated nozzle according to a prescribed pattern then deposited onto a platform.…”

3D Printing of Solvent-Free Supramolecular Polymers

“…Obstacles like high printing temperatures, interlayer adhesion, and sample warping can be addressed by the use of supramolecular interactions in 3D printing ( Bochmann et al, 2015 ; Kollamaram et al, 2018 ; Geng et al, 2020 ). Besides the introduction of self-healing properties, a well-known feature of supramolecular materials is the increased material strength without relying on different filler materials, resulting in an easier processing of strong polymers in 3D printing ( de Espinosa et al, 2015 ; Yu et al, 2017 ; Gao et al, 2019 ). As the printing of supramolecular polymer systems in solution or in gels (supramolecular hydrogels) is not considered in this review, the reader is kindly referred to the following literature for more information on hydrogel printing: Pekkanen et al, (2017 ); Ganguly et al (2020a ); Ganguly et al (2020b ); Chimene et al (2020 ); Das et al (2021 ); Kumar et al (2021 ); and Madduma-Bandarage and Madihally (2021 ).…”