scholarly journals Analysis of Thermal Degradation in the Annealing Process of Colored Parts Built by Extrusion-Based 3D Printing

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 124-133
Author(s):  
Kleber Leonardo Castro Vera ◽  
Leonardo Santana ◽  
Jorge Lino Alves

With the ever-increasing request of light materials, poly lactic (acid) PLA, have got much in consideration. Low-cost PLA materials have risen its use. Those possess some benefits but nevertheless insufficient mechanical strength. The printed PLA objects have a stumbling block for practical applications. Thus, annealing is an interested alternative to make 3D printed objects strong. This thermal treatment can significantly develop investigational studies and offer technical data. Hence the purpose of this paper is study and discuss how to increase the flexural strength through annealing process. Geometry distortions and color degradation will be analyzed. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Taguchi Method (TM) and variance (ANOVA) were applied as part of the design experiments and analysis. Twenty-seven printed specimens were tested and factors as temperature, time and color were selected.

2021 ◽  
pp. 002199832098856
Author(s):  
Marcela Piassi Bernardo ◽  
Bruna Cristina Rodrigues da Silva ◽  
Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso

Injured bone tissues can be healed with scaffolds, which could be manufactured using the fused deposition modeling (FDM) strategy. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most biocompatible polymers suitable for FDM, while hydroxyapatite (HA) could improve the bioactivity of scaffold due to its chemical composition. Therefore, the combination of PLA/HA can create composite filaments adequate for FDM and with high osteoconductive and osteointegration potentials. In this work, we proposed a different approache to improve the potential bioactivity of 3D printed scaffolds for bone tissue engineering by increasing the HA loading (20-30%) in the PLA composite filaments. Two routes were investigated regarding the use of solvents in the filament production. To assess the suitability of the FDM-3D printing process, and the influence of the HA content on the polymer matrix, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. The HA phase content of the composite filaments agreed with the initial composite proportions. The wettability of the 3D printed scaffolds was also increased. It was shown a greener route for obtaining composite filaments that generate scaffolds with properties similar to those obtained by the solvent casting, with high HA content and great potential to be used as a bone graft.


2018 ◽  
Vol 941 ◽  
pp. 884-889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianna Katsivarda ◽  
Athanasios Vazdirvanidis ◽  
George Pantazopoulos ◽  
Nikos Kolioubas ◽  
Sofia Papadopoulou ◽  
...  

A joint research project was accomplished with the aim to determine the effect of homogenization conditions (temperature, time, cooling rate) on the microstructure and hardness of 6063 alloy billets. Homogenization is crucial for the ability to extrude the piece in low cost, but mainly without defects. Thus, it is of importance to determine the most suitable homogenization conditions (temperature, time, cooling rate) and its effect on both microstructure and hardness of 6063 alloy billets. Furthermore, the size and morphology of the AlFeMnSi intermetallic particles (mean diameter, aspect ratio) and the precipitation behavior of Mg2Si constituents are examined in detail via optical (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resulting mean diameter and aspect ratio data generated by such measurements using OM and image analysis of the intermetallics, that are relevant to the extent of beta-to-alpha transformation, are statistically processed with “ANOVA”. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) tests are used to determine the coherency level of the particles that were precipitated during the different cooling rates and to reveal the potential for resolutioning the precipitates during billet preheating. Samples received from the plant are compared to laboratory samples in order to facilitate the process of optimization the thermal treatment and improve extrudability.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (15) ◽  
pp. 4292
Author(s):  
Gerjan Wolterink ◽  
Pedro Dias ◽  
Remco G. P. Sanders ◽  
Frodo Muijzer ◽  
Bert-Jan van Beijnum ◽  
...  

3D printing of soft EMG sensing structures enables the creation of personalized sensing structures that can be potentially integrated in prosthetic, assistive and other devices. We developed and characterized flexible carbon-black doped TPU-based sEMG sensing structures. The structures are directly 3D-printed without the need for an additional post-processing step using a low-cost, consumer grade multi-material FDM printer. A comparison between the gold standard Ag/AgCl gel electrodes and the 3D-printed EMG electrodes with a comparable contact area shows that there is no significant difference in the EMG signals’ amplitude. The sensors are capable of distinguishing a variable level of muscle activity of the biceps brachii. Furthermore, as a proof of principle, sEMG data of a 3D-printed 8-electrode band are analyzed using a patten recognition algorithm to recognize hand gestures. This work shows that 3D-printed sEMG electrodes have great potential in practical applications.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Osti ◽  
Gian Santi ◽  
Marco Neri ◽  
Alfredo Liverani ◽  
Leonardo Frizziero ◽  
...  

This paper presents the application of a low-cost 3D printing technology in pre-operative planning and intra-operative decision-making. Starting from Computed Tomography (CT) scans, we were able to reconstruct a 3D model of the area of interest with a very simple and rapid workflow, using open-source software and an entry level 3D printer. The use of High Temperature Poly-Lactic Acid (HTPLA) by ProtoPasta allowed fabricating sterilizable models, which could be used within the surgical field. We believe that our method is an appealing alternative to high-end commercial products, being superior for cost and speed of production. It could be advantageous especially for small and less affluent hospitals that could produce customized sterilizable tools with little investment and high versatility.


2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 736-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi Him Alpha Tsang ◽  
Adilet Zhakeyev ◽  
Dennis Y. C. Leung ◽  
Jin Xuan

Abstract Graphene oxide (GO) induced enhancement of elastomer properties showed a great deal of potential in recent years, but it is still limited by the barrier of the complicated synthesis processes. Stereolithography (SLA), used in fabrication of thermosets and very recently in “flexible” polymers with elastomeric properties, presents itself as simple and user-friendly method for integration of GO into elastomers. In this work, it was first time demonstrated that GO loadings can be incorporated into commercial flexible photopolymer resins to successfully fabricate GO/elastomer nanocomposites via readily accessible, consumer-oriented SLA printer. The material properties of the resulting polymer was characterized and tested. The mechanical strength, stiffness, and the elongation of the resulting polymer decreased with the addition of GO. The thermal properties were also adversely affected upon the increase in the GO content based on differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis results. It was proposed that the GO agglomerates within the 3D printed composites, can result in significant change in both mechanical and thermal properties of the resulting nanocomposites. This study demonstrated the possibility for the development of the GO/elastomer nanocomposites after the optimization of the GO/“flexible” photoreactive resin formulation for SLA with suitable annealing process of the composite in future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  

Experimental design has been used to determine outlying factors that affect tensile strength of fused deposition modelling 3D printed PLA parts. A two level, three factor full factorial experiments were utilized to determine the best combination of factors that yielded the highest tensile strength of PLA tensile dog bones manufactured in accordance with ASTM D638-14. PLA is particularly desirable due to its environmental friendliness, biodegradability, low cost, and low melting point, allowing it to be built on a non-heated platform without risk of toxic fumes. Increasing the tensile strength of PLA will allow PLA to be used in a wider range of applications that demand stronger plastic parts. The chosen factors were infill percentage, nozzle temperature, and printing speed. The tensile strength was affected by all factors and combinations except for high levels of infill percentage, nozzle temperature, and printing speed combined.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merel van der Stelt ◽  
Martin P. Grobusch ◽  
Abdul R. Koroma ◽  
Marco Papenburg ◽  
Ismaila Kebbie ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dionisio H. Malagón-Romero ◽  
Alexander Ladino ◽  
Nataly Ortiz ◽  
Liliana P. Green

Hydrogen is expected to play an important role as a clean, reliable and renewable energy source. A key challenge is the production of hydrogen in an economically and environmentally sustainable way on an industrial scale. One promising method of hydrogen production is via biological processes using agricultural resources, where the hydrogen is found to be mixed with other gases, such as carbon dioxide. Thus, to separate hydrogen from the mixture, it is challenging to implement and evaluate a simple, low cost, reliable and efficient separation process. So, the aim of this work was to develop a polymeric membrane for hydrogen separation. The developed membranes were made of polysulfone via phase inversion by a controlled evaporation method with 5 wt % and 10 wt % of polysulfone resulting in thicknesses of 132 and 239 micrometers, respectively. Membrane characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and ASTM D882 tensile test. Performance was characterized using a 23 factorial experiment using the time lag method, comparing the results with those from gas chromatography (GC). As a result, developed membranes exhibited dense microstructures, low values of RMS roughness, and glass transition temperatures of approximately 191.75 °C and 190.43 °C for the 5 wt % and 10 wt % membranes, respectively. Performance results for the given membranes showed a hydrogen selectivity of 8.20 for an evaluated gas mixture 54% hydrogen and 46% carbon dioxide. According to selectivity achieved, H2 separation from carbon dioxide is feasible with possibilities of scalability. These results are important for consolidating hydrogen production from biological processes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8421
Author(s):  
Yuan Gao ◽  
Jiandong Huang ◽  
Meng Li ◽  
Zhongran Dai ◽  
Rongli Jiang ◽  
...  

Uranium mining waste causes serious radiation-related health and environmental problems. This has encouraged efforts toward U(VI) removal with low cost and high efficiency. Typical uranium adsorbents, such as polymers, geopolymers, zeolites, and MOFs, and their associated high costs limit their practical applications. In this regard, this work found that the natural combusted coal gangue (CCG) could be a potential precursor of cheap sorbents to eliminate U(VI). The removal efficiency was modulated by chemical activation under acid and alkaline conditions, obtaining HCG (CCG activated with HCl) and KCG (CCG activated with KOH), respectively. The detailed structural analysis uncovered that those natural mineral substances, including quartz and kaolinite, were the main components in CCG and HCG. One of the key findings was that kalsilite formed in KCG under a mild synthetic condition can conspicuous enhance the affinity towards U(VI). The best equilibrium adsorption capacity with KCG was observed to be 140 mg/g under pH 6 within 120 min, following a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. To understand the improved adsorption performance, an adsorption mechanism was proposed by evaluating the pH of uranyl solutions, adsorbent dosage, as well as contact time. Combining with the structural analysis, this revealed that the uranyl adsorption process was mainly governed by chemisorption. This study gave rise to a utilization approach for CCG to obtain cost-effective adsorbents and paved a novel way towards eliminating uranium by a waste control by waste strategy.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 1822
Author(s):  
Evangelia Balla ◽  
Vasileios Daniilidis ◽  
Georgia Karlioti ◽  
Theocharis Kalamas ◽  
Myrika Stefanidou ◽  
...  

Environmental problems, such as global warming and plastic pollution have forced researchers to investigate alternatives for conventional plastics. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), one of the well-known eco-friendly biodegradables and biobased polyesters, has been studied extensively and is considered to be a promising substitute to petroleum-based polymers. This review gives an inclusive overview of the current research of lactic acid and lactide dimer techniques along with the production of PLA from its monomers. Melt polycondensation as well as ring opening polymerization techniques are discussed, and the effect of various catalysts and polymerization conditions is thoroughly presented. Reaction mechanisms are also reviewed. However, due to the competitive decomposition reactions, in the most cases low or medium molecular weight (MW) of PLA, not exceeding 20,000–50,000 g/mol, are prepared. For this reason, additional procedures such as solid state polycondensation (SSP) and chain extension (CE) reaching MW ranging from 80,000 up to 250,000 g/mol are extensively investigated here. Lastly, numerous practical applications of PLA in various fields of industry, technical challenges and limitations of PLA use as well as its future perspectives are also reported in this review.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document