scholarly journals Sustainability in additive manufacturing: Exploring the mechanical potential of recycled PET filaments

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 263498332110000
Author(s):  
Helge Schneevogt ◽  
Kevin Stelzner ◽  
Buket Yilmaz ◽  
Bilen Emek Abali ◽  
André Klunker ◽  
...  

Herein, the effects of recycled polymers on the mechanical properties of additively manufactured specimens, specifically those derived by fused deposition modelling, are determined. The intention is to investigate how 3D-printing can be more sustainable and how recycled polymers compare against conventional ones. Initially, sustainability is discussed in general and more sustainable materials such as recycled filaments and biodegradable filaments are introduced. Subsequently, a comparison of the recycled filament recycled Polyethylene terephthalate (rePET) and a conventional Polyethylene terephthalate with glycol (PETG) filament is drawn upon their mechanical performance under tension, and the geometry and slicing strategy for the 3D-printed specimens is discussed. Finally, the outcomes from the experiments are compared against numerically determined results and conclusions are drawn.

Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofiane Guessasma ◽  
Sofiane Belhabib ◽  
Hedi Nouri

Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) is a thermoplastic formed by polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and ethylene glycol and known for his high impact resistance and ductility. The printability of PETG for fused deposition modelling (FDM) is studied by monitoring the filament temperature using an infra-red camera. The microstructural arrangement of 3D printed PETG is analysed by means of X-ray micro-tomography and tensile performance is investigated in a wide range of printing temperatures from 210 °C to 255 °C. A finite element model is implemented based on 3D microstructure of the printed material to reveal the deformation mechanisms and the role of the microstructural defects on the mechanical performance. The results show that PETG can be printed within a limited range of printing temperatures. The results suggest a significant loss of the mechanical performance due to the FDM processing and particularly a substantial reduction of the elongation at break is observed. The loss of this property is explained by the inhomogeneous deformation of the PETG filament. X-ray micro-tomography results reveal a limited amount of process-induced porosity, which only extends through the sample thickness. The FE predictions point out the combination of local shearing and inhomogeneous stretching that are correlated to the filament arrangement within the plane of construction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atefeh Golbang ◽  
Mozaffar Mokhtari ◽  
Eileen Harkin-Jones ◽  
Edward Archer ◽  
Alistair Mcilhagger

In this study, PEEK nanocomposites with 0, 0.5, 1, and 2wt% IF-WS2 were manufactured by injection moulding and Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). To compare the impact of the two processing methods and the incorporated nanoparticles on the morphology, crystallization and final mechanical properties of the nanocomposites, SEM, DSC and tensile testing were performed. In general, a good distribution of nanoparticles was observed in PEEK, although larger agglomerates were visible at 2 wt% IF-WS2. The crystallization degree of PEEK increased with increasing loading of IF-WS2 nanoparticles up to 1wt% and then declined at 2 wt%, due to lower level of particle dispersion in this sample. The 3D printed samples showed slightly higher crystallinity at each IF-WS2 loading in relation to the injection moulded samples and extruded filaments, because of multiple reheating effect from subsequent layer deposition during FDM, causing recrystallization. In general, incorporation of IF-WS2 nanoparticles increased the mechanical properties of pure PEEK in both 3D printed and injection moulded samples. However, this increment was more noticeable in the 3D-printed nanocomposite samples, resulting in smaller gap between the mechanical properties of the 3D-printed samples and the injection moulded counterparts, in respect to pure PEEK, particularly at 1 wt% IF-WS2. This effect is ascribed to the increased inter-layer bonding of PEEK in the presence of IF-WS2 nanoparticles in FDM. In general, the lower mechanical properties of the 3D printed samples compared with the injection moulded ones are ascribed to poor interlayer bonding between the deposited layers and the presence of voids. However, addition of just 1 wt% of IF-WS2 nanoparticles into PEEK increased the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the FDM PEEK materials to similar levels to those achieved for unfilled injection moulded PEEK. Therefore, incorporation of IF-WS2 nanoparticles into PEEK is a useful strategy to improve the mechanical performance of FDM PEEK.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 7338
Author(s):  
Alaeddine Oussai ◽  
Zoltán Bártfai ◽  
László Kátai

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is the most common 3D printing technology. An object formed through continuous layering until completion is known as an additive process while other processes with different methods are also relevant. In this paper, mechanical properties were analysed using two distinct kinds of printed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) as tensile test specimens. The materials used consist of recycled PET and virgin PET. An assessment of all the forty test pieces of both kinds of PET was undertaken. A comparison of the test samples’ tensile strength values, difference in stress-strain curves, and elongation at break was also carried out. The reasoning behind the fracturing of test pieces that printed with different settings is presented in part by the depiction of the fractured specimens following the tensile test. An optimal route was revealed to be 3D printing with recycled PET, as per the mechanical testing. The hardness of the recycled filament decreased to 6%, while the tensile strength and shear strength increased to 14.7 and 2.8%, respectively. Nonetheless, no changes occurred to the tensile modulus elasticity. Despite notable differences being observed in the results of the recycled PET filament, no substantial differences were found prior or post-recycling in the mechanical properties of the PET filament. In conclusion, the demand for improved recycled 3D printing filament technologies is heightened due to the comparable mechanical features of the specimens of both the 3D printed recycled and virgin materials. With tensile strength figures reaching as high as 43.15MPa at Recycled PET and 3.12% being the greatest elongation at 40% Recycled PET, 100% Recycled is the ideal printing setting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
Pulkin Gupta ◽  
Sudha Kumari ◽  
Abhishek Gupta ◽  
Ankit Kumar Sinha ◽  
Prashant Jindal

Abstract Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is a layer-by-layer manufacturing process type of 3D-printing (3DP). Significant variation in the mechanical properties of 3D printed specimens is observed because of varied process parameters and interfacial bonding between consecutive layers. This study investigates the influence of heat treatment on the mechanical strength of FDM 3D printed Polylactic acid (PLA) parts with constant 3DP parameters and ambient conditions. To meet the objectives, 7 sets, each containing 5 dog-bone shaped samples, were fabricated from commercially available PLA filament. Each set was subjected to heat treatment at a particular temperature for 1 h and cooled in the furnace itself, while one set was left un-treated. The temperature for heat treatment (Th) varied from 30 °C to 130 °C with increments of 10 °C. The heat-treated samples were characterized under tensile loading of 400 N and mechanical properties like Young’s modulus (E), Strain % ( ε ) and Stiffness (k) were evaluated. On comparing the mechanical properties of heat-treated samples to un-treated samples, significant improvements were observed. Heat treatment also altered the geometries of the samples. Mechanical properties improved by 4.88 % to 10.26 % with the maximum being at Th of 110 °C and below recrystallization temperature (Tr) of 65 °C. Deformations also decreased significantly at higher temperatures above 100 °C, by a maximum of 36.06 %. The dimensions of samples showed a maximum decrease of 1.08 % in Tr range and a maximum decrease of 0.31 % in weight at the same temperature. This study aims to benefit the society by establishing suitable Th to recover the lost strength in PLA based FDM 3D printed parts.


Polymers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wang ◽  
Zhao ◽  
Fuh ◽  
Lee

Additive manufacturing (commonly known as 3D printing) is defined as a family of technologies that deposit and consolidate materials to create a 3D object as opposed to subtractive manufacturing methodologies. Fused deposition modeling (FDM), one of the most popular additive manufacturing techniques, has demonstrated extensive applications in various industries such as medical prosthetics, automotive, and aeronautics. As a thermal process, FDM may introduce internal voids and pores into the fabricated thermoplastics, giving rise to potential reduction on the mechanical properties. This paper aims to investigate the effects of the microscopic pores on the mechanical properties of material fabricated by the FDM process via experiments and micromechanical modeling. More specifically, the three-dimensional microscopic details of the internal pores, such as size, shape, density, and spatial location were quantitatively characterized by X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and, subsequently, experiments were conducted to characterize the mechanical properties of the material. Based on the microscopic details of the pores characterized by XCT, a micromechanical model was proposed to predict the mechanical properties of the material as a function of the porosity (ratio of total volume of the pores over total volume of the material). The prediction results of the mechanical properties were found to be in agreement with the experimental data as well as the existing works. The proposed micromechanical model allows the future designers to predict the elastic properties of the 3D printed material based on the porosity from XCT results. This provides a possibility of saving the experimental cost on destructive testing.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Nanang Ali Sutisna ◽  
Rakha Amrillah Fattah

The method of producing items through synchronously depositing material level by level, based on 3D digital models, is named Additive Manufacturing (AM) or 3D-printing. Amongs many AM methods, the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technique along with PLA (Polylactic acid) material is commonly used in additive manufacturing. Until now, the mechanical properties of the AM components could not be calculated or estimated until they've been assembled and checked. In this work, a novel approach is suggested as to how the extrusion process affects the mechanical properties of the printed component to obtain how the parts can be manufactured or printed to achieve improved mechanical properties. This methodology is based on an experimental procedure in which the combination of parameters to achieve an optimal from a manufacturing experiment and its value can be determined, the results obtained show the effect of the extrusion process affects the mechanical properties.


TEM Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 966-970
Author(s):  
Damir Hodžić ◽  
Adi Pandžić ◽  
Ismar Hajro ◽  
Petar Tasić

Widely used additive manufacturing technique for plastic materials is Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). The FDM technology has gained interest in industry for a wide range of applications, especially today when large number of different materials on the market are available. There are many different manufacturers for the same FDM material where the difference in price goes up to 50%. This experimental study investigates possible difference in strength of the 3D printed PLA material of five different manufacturers. All specimens are 3D printed on Ultimaker S5 printer with the same printing parameters, and they are all the same colour.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-474
Author(s):  
Martin Krčma ◽  
David Škaroupka ◽  
Petr Vosynek ◽  
Tomáš Zikmund ◽  
Jozef Kaiser ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the evaluation of a polymer concrete as a three-dimensional (3D) printing material. An associated company has developed plastic concrete made from reused unrecyclable plastic waste. Its intended use is as a construction material. Design/methodology/approach The concrete mix, called PolyBet, composed of polypropylene and glass sand, is printed by the fused deposition modelling process. The process of material and parameter selection is described. The mechanical properties of the filled material were compared to its cast state. Samples were made from castings and two different orientations of 3D-printed parts. Three-point flex tests were carried out, and the area of the break was examined. Computed tomography of the samples was carried out. Findings The influence of the 3D printing process on the material was evaluated. The mechanical performance of the longitudinal samples was close to the cast state. There was a difference in the failure mode between the states, with cast parts exhibiting a tougher behaviour, with fractures propagating in a stair-like manner. The 3D-printed samples exhibited high degrees of porosity. Originality/value The results suggest that the novel material is a good fit for 3D printing, with little to no degradation caused by the process. Layer adhesion was shown to be excellent, with negligible effect on the finished part for the longitudinal orientation. That means, if large-scale testing of buildability is successful, the material is a good fit for additive manufacturing of building components and other large-scale structures.


Coatings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Sauerbier ◽  
James Anderson ◽  
Douglas Gardner

Recent advances in large-scale thermoplastic additive manufacturing (AM), using fused deposition modelling (FDM), have shown that the technology can effectively produce large aerospace tools with common feed stocks, costing 2.3 $/kg, such as a 20% carbon-filled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Large-scale additive manufacturing machines have build-volumes in the range of cubic meters and use commercially available pellet feedstock thermoplastics, which are significantly cheaper (5–10 $/kg) than the filament feedstocks for desktop 3D printers (20–50 $/kg). Additionally, large-scale AM machines have a higher material throughput on the order of 50 kg/h. This enables the cost-efficient tool production for several industries. Large-scale 3D-printed tooling will be computerized numerical control (CNC)-machined and -coated, to provide a surface suitable for demolding the composite parts. This paper outlines research undertaken to review and improve the adhesion of the coating systems to large, low-cost AM composite tooling, for marine or infrastructure composite applications. Lower cost tooling systems typically have a lower dimensional accuracy and thermal operating requirements than might be required for aerospace tooling. As such, they can use lower cost commodity grade thermoplastics. The polymer systems explored in the study included polypropylene (PP), styrene-maleic anhydride (SMA), and polylactic acid (PLA). Bio-based filler materials were used to reduce cost and increase the strength and stiffness of the material. Fillers used in the study included wood flour, at 30% by weight and spray-dried cellulose nano-fibrils, at 20% by weight. Applicable adhesion of the coating was achieved with PP, after surface treatment, and untreated SMA and PLA showed desirable coating adhesion results. PLA wood-filled composites offered the best properties for the desired application and, furthermore, they have environment-friendly advantages.


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