scholarly journals Comprehensive Characterization of Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Silica Microparticles Using Leftover Materials of Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printing

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2423
Author(s):  
Waleed Ahmed ◽  
Sidra Siraj ◽  
Ali H. Al-Marzouqi
Keyword(s):  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Polymeric Materials ◽  
Fused Filament Fabrication ◽  
Three Dimensional Printing ◽  
Random Dispersion ◽  
High Silica ◽  
Polymeric Waste ◽  
Composite Samples

Silica exhibits properties such that its addition into polymeric materials can result in an enhanced overall quality and improved characteristics and as a result silica has been widely used as a filler material for improving the rheological properties of polymeric materials. The usage of polymers in three-dimensional printing technology has grown exponentially, which has increased the amount of waste produced during this process. Several polymers, such as polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polylactic acid (PLA), and nylon, are applied in this emerging technology. In this study, the effect of the addition of silica as a filler on the mechanical, thermal, and bulk density properties of the composites prepared from the aforementioned polymeric waste was studied. In addition, the morphology of the composite materials was characterized via scanning electron microscopy. The composite samples were prepared with various silica concentrations using a twin extruder followed by hot compression. Generally, the addition of silica increased the tensile strength of the polymers. For instance, the tensile strength of PVA with 5 wt% filler increased by 76 MPa, whereas those of PP and PLA with 10 wt% filler increased by 7.15 and 121.03 MPa, respectively. The crystallinity of the prepared composite samples ranged from 14% to 35%, which is expected in a composite system. Morphological analysis revealed the random dispersion of silica particles and agglomerate formation at high silica concentrations. The bulk density of the samples decreased with increased amount of filler addition. The addition of silica influenced the changes in the characteristics of the polymeric materials. Furthermore, the properties presented in this study can be used to further study the engineering design, transportation, and production processes, promoting the recycling and reuse of such waste in the same technology with the desired properties.

Boron carbide composite apertures for small-angle neutron scattering made by three-dimensional printing

2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 696-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Olsson ◽  
Adrian R. Rennie
Keyword(s):  
Boron Carbide ◽  
Neutron Scattering ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Small Angle Neutron Scattering ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Fused Filament Fabrication ◽  
Γ Radiation ◽  
Three Dimensional Printing ◽  
Complex Shapes ◽  
Dimensional Printing

Apertures for small-angle neutron scattering prepared from a boron carbide/polymer composite have been made by three-dimensional printing using fused filament fabrication. Use of enriched 10B4C gives higher absorption and much lower parasitic scattering than natural B4C. The simple fabrication, the capability to replace toxic and environmentally hazardous materials such as cadmium, and the possibility to diminish the secondary background of γ-radiation are attractive features of use of these materials. Complex shapes, apart from apertures, can be fabricated readily with this composite, for example, to make shielding for instrument components and masks used to calibrate detectors.

Microscopic analysis on dimensional capability of fused filament fabrication three-dimensional printing process

2021 ◽  
pp. 009524432110472
Author(s):  
Ans Al Rashid ◽  
Sikandar Abdul Qadir ◽  
Muammer Koç
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Process Conditions ◽  
Fused Filament Fabrication ◽  
Three Dimensional Printing ◽  
Dimensional Measurement ◽  
Taguchi’S Design Of Experiments ◽  
Functional Components ◽  
Accuracy And Repeatability ◽  
Dimensional Printing

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) has been the most widely used three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology due to its cost-effectiveness, easy application, and material readiness. FFF, to date, has been used to fabricate polymer components for rapid prototyping and increasingly for some end-user applications. Thus, there is a pressing need to optimize 3DP process parameters for FFF materials to achieve higher dimensional accuracy, especially in functional components for final use applications. Therefore, to ensure desired geometries with reasonable accuracy, precise measurements are required to validate the FFF process’s dimensional capability under different process conditions. This study presents the dimensional measurement and statistical analysis to evaluate the effect of printing materials, speed, and layer heights on dimensional accuracy and repeatability of the commercial FFF process. A benchmark part model was designed with different external and internal features commonly used in manufacturing processes. Taguchi’s design of experiments (DOE) was employed to obtain the experiments scheme, followed by the 3DP, dimensional measurement, and analysis of 3DP samples. Results revealed polylactic acid (PLA) material provided better dimensional control in most of the features. Higher printing speeds and layer heights were found optimum for external features/protrusions, whereas lower-to-medium speeds and layer heights were more appropriate for the fabrication of internal features.

scholarly journals Physical confinement impacts cellular phenotype within living materials

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans Priks ◽  
Tobias Butelmann ◽  
Aleksandr Illarionov ◽  
Trevor G. Johnston ◽  
Christopher Fellin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Response ◽  
Glycidyl Ether ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Polymeric Materials ◽  
Cellular Phenotype ◽  
Suspension Cells ◽  
Three Dimensional Printing ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
Dimensional Printing ◽  
Living Materials

AbstractAdditive manufacturing allows three-dimensional printing of polymeric materials together with cells, creating living materials for applications in biomedical research and biotechnology. However, understanding the cellular phenotype within living materials is lacking and a key limitation for their wider application. Herein, we present an approach to characterize the cellular phenotype within living materials. We immobilized the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in three different photocross-linkable triblock polymeric hydrogels containing F127-bis-urethane methacrylate, F127-dimethacrylate, or poly(alkyl glycidyl ether)-dimethacrylate. Using optical and scanning electron microscopy, we showed that hydrogels based on these polymers were stable under physiological conditions, but yeast colonies showed differences in the interaction within the living materials. We found that the physical confinement, imparted by compositional and structural properties of the hydrogels, impacted the cellular phenotype by reducing the size of cells in living materials compared with suspension cells. These properties also contributed to the differences in immobilization patterns, growth of colonies, and colony coatings. We observed that a composition-dependent degradation of polymers was likely possible by cells residing in the living materials. In conclusion, our investigation highlights the need for a holistic understanding of the cellular response within hydrogels to facilitate the synthesis of application-specific polymers and the design of advanced living materials in the future.

Validation study on the theory of composites by using three-dimensional printing technology

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (15) ◽  
pp. 1004-1010
Author(s):  
Xiaohang Tuo ◽  
Yue Yu ◽  
Yabo Zhao ◽  
Yumei Gong ◽  
Jing Guo
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Nanotubes ◽  
Tensile Testing ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
High Tech ◽  
New Materials ◽  
Reinforcement Theory ◽  
Printing Technology ◽  
Three Dimensional Printing ◽  
Dimensional Printing ◽  
Composite Samples

RoM, as a reinforcement theory of composite materials, has been widely used. With the advent of new materials and molding processes, this theory is constantly being refined and validated. In this paper, four high-tech fibers as continuous reinforcing materials and carbon nanotubes as non-continuous reinforcing materials were evaluated, and two ideal composite samples were designed using three-dimensional printing technology. The reliability of RoM was verified by tensile testing. Also, a fiber tensile fixture was designed. The fiber bundle strength was inversely proportional to the length and the number of roots of fiber. In verifying the RoM, three-dimensional printing was employed, showing the diversity and complexity of the testing samples.

scholarly journals Investigating the Effects of Annealing on the Mechanical Properties of FFF-Printed Thermoplastics

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javaid Butt ◽  
Raghunath Bhaskar
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Tensile Strength ◽  
Surface Finish ◽  
Ultrasonic Testing ◽  
Tensile Testing ◽  
Amorphous Materials ◽  
Microstructural Analysis ◽  
Polymeric Materials ◽  
Fused Filament Fabrication ◽  
Manufacturing Method

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a cost-effective additive manufacturing method that makes use of thermoplastics to produce customised products. However, there are several limitations associated with FFF that are adversely affecting its growth including variety of materials, rough surface finish and poor mechanical properties. This has resulted in the development of metal-infused thermoplastics that can provide better properties. Furthermore, FFF-printed parts can be subjected to post-processes to improve their surface finish and mechanical properties. This work takes into consideration two commonly used polymeric materials, i.e., ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PLA (polylactic acid) and compares the results with two metal-infused thermoplastics i.e., copper-enhanced PLA and aluminium-enhanced ASA (acrylonitrile styrene acrylate). The four different materials were subjected to a post-process called annealing to enhance their mechanical properties. The effect of annealing on these four materials was investigated through dimensional analysis, ultrasonic testing, tensile testing, microstructural analysis and hardness testing. The results showed that annealing affects the materials differently. However, a correlation among ultrasonic testing, tensile testing and microstructural analysis was observed for all the materials based on their crystallinity. It was found that the semi-crystalline materials (i.e., PLA and copper enhanced PLA) showed a considerable increase in tensile strength post-annealing. However, the amorphous materials (ABS and aluminium-enhanced ASA) showed a comparatively lower increase in tensile strength, demonstrating that they were less receptive to annealing. These results were supported by higher transmission times and a high percentage of voids in the amorphous materials. The highest hardness values were observed for the ASA material and the lowest for the ABS material. This work provides a good comparison for the metal-infused thermoplastics and their applicability with the commonly used PLA and ABS materials.

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