scholarly journals Sustainable Additive Manufacturing: Mechanical Response of Polypropylene over Multiple Recycling Processes

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Nectarios Vidakis ◽  
Markos Petousis ◽  
Lazaros Tzounis ◽  
Athena Maniadi ◽  
Emmanouil Velidakis ◽  
...  

The recycling of polymeric materials has received a steadily growing scientific and industrial interest due to the increase in demand and production of durable and lightweight plastic parts. Recycling of such materials is mostly based on thermomechanical processes that significantly affect the mechanical, as well as the overall physicochemical properties of polymers. The study at hand focuses on the recyclability of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printed Polypropylene (PP) for a certain number of recycling courses (six in total), and its effect on the mechanical properties of 3D printed parts. Namely, 3D printed specimens were fabricated from non-recycled and recycled PP material, and further experimentally tested regarding their mechanical properties in tension, flexion, impact, and microhardness. Comprehensive dynamic scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, and morphological investigations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed for the different 3D printed PP samples. The overall results showed that there is an overall slight increase in the material’s mechanical properties, both in tension and in flexion mode, while the DSC characterization indicates an increase in the polymer crystallinity over the recycling course.

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Nectarios Vidakis ◽  
Markos Petousis ◽  
Lazaros Tzounis ◽  
Athena Maniadi ◽  
Emmanouil Velidakis ◽  
...  

Plastic waste reduction and recycling through circular use has been critical nowadays, since there is an increasing demand for the production of plastic components based on different polymeric matrices in various applications. The most commonly used recycling procedure, especially for thermoplastic materials, is based on thermomechanical process protocols that could significantly alter the polymers’ macromolecular structure and physicochemical properties. The study at hand focuses on recycling of polyamide 12 (PA12) filament, through extrusion melting over multiple recycling courses, giving insight for its effect on the mechanical and thermal properties of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) manufactured specimens throughout the recycling courses. Three-dimensional (3D) FFF printed specimens were produced from virgin as well as recycled PA12 filament, while they have been experimentally tested further for their tensile, flexural, impact and micro-hardness mechanical properties. A thorough thermal and morphological analysis was also performed on all the 3D printed samples. The results of this study demonstrate that PA12 can be successfully recycled for a certain number of courses and could be utilized in 3D printing, while exhibiting improved mechanical properties when compared to virgin material for a certain number of recycling repetitions. From this work, it can be deduced that PA12 can be a viable option for circular use and 3D printing, offering an overall positive impact on recycling, while realizing 3D printed components using recycled filaments with enhanced mechanical and thermal stability.


Technologies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Alessia Romani ◽  
Andrea Mantelli ◽  
Paolo Tralli ◽  
Stefano Turri ◽  
Marinella Levi ◽  
...  

Fused filament fabrication allows the direct manufacturing of customized and complex products although the layer-by-layer appearance of this process strongly affects the surface quality of the final parts. In recent years, an increasing number of post-processing treatments has been developed for the most used materials. Contrarily to other additive manufacturing technologies, metallization is not a common surface treatment for this process despite the increasing range of high-performing 3D printable materials. The objective of this work is to explore the use of physical vapor deposition sputtering for the chromium metallization of thermoplastic polymers and composites obtained by fused filament fabrication. The thermal and mechanical properties of five materials were firstly evaluated by means of differential scanning calorimetry and tensile tests. Meanwhile, a specific finishing torture test sample was designed and 3D printed to perform the metallization process and evaluate the finishing on different geometrical features. Furthermore, the roughness of the samples was measured before and after the metallization, and a cost analysis was performed to assess the cost-efficiency. To sum up, the metallization of five samples made with different materials was successfully achieved. Although some 3D printing defects worsened after the post-processing treatment, good homogeneity on the finest details was reached. These promising results may encourage further experimentations as well as the development of new applications, i.e., for the automotive and furniture fields.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaiyang Zhu ◽  
Zichen Deng ◽  
Shi Dai ◽  
Yajun Yu

Purpose This study aims to focus on the effect of interlayer bonding and thermal decomposition on the mechanical properties of fused filament fabrication-printed polylactic acid specimens at high extrusion temperatures. Design/methodology/approach A printing process, that is simultaneous manufacturing of contour and specimen, is used to improve the printing accuracy at high extrusion temperatures. The effects of the extrusion temperature on the mechanical properties of the interlayer and intra-layer are evaluated via tensile experiments. In addition, the microstructure evolution affected by the extrusion temperature is observed using scanning electron microscopy. Findings The results show that the extrusion temperature can effectively improve the interlayer bonding property; however, the mechanical properties of the specimen for extrusion temperatures higher than 270°C may worsen owing to the thermal decomposition of the polylactic acid (PLA) material. The optimum extrusion temperature of PLA material in the three-dimensional (3D) printing process is recommended to be 250–270°C. Originality/value A temperature-compensated constitutive model for 3D printed PLA material under different extrusion temperatures is proposed. The present work facilitates the prediction of the mechanical properties of specimens at an extrusion temperature for different printing temperatures and different layers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-555
Author(s):  
Jin Young Choi ◽  
Mark Timothy Kortschot

Purpose The purpose of this study is to confirm that the stiffness of fused filament fabrication (FFF) three-dimensionally (3D) printed fiber-reinforced thermoplastic (FRP) materials can be predicted using classical laminate theory (CLT), and to subsequently use the model to demonstrate its potential to improve the mechanical properties of FFF 3D printed parts intended for load-bearing applications. Design/methodology/approach The porosity and the fiber orientation in specimens printed with carbon fiber reinforced filament were calculated from micro-computed tomography (µCT) images. The infill portion of the sample was modeled using CLT, while the perimeter contour portion was modeled with a rule of mixtures (ROM) approach. Findings The µCT scan images showed that a low porosity of 0.7 ± 0.1% was achieved, and the fibers were highly oriented in the filament extrusion direction. CLT and ROM were effective analytical models to predict the elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of FFF 3D printed FRP laminates. Research limitations/implications In this study, the CLT model was only used to predict the properties of flat plates. Once the in-plane properties are known, however, they can be used in a finite element analysis to predict the behavior of plate and shell structures. Practical implications By controlling the raster orientation, the mechanical properties of a FFF part can be optimized for the intended application. Originality/value Before this study, CLT had not been validated for FFF 3D printed FRPs. CLT can be used to help designers tailor the raster pattern of each layer for specific stiffness requirements.


2009 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Ratajska ◽  
Wojciech Kulak ◽  
Artur Poeppel ◽  
Andreas Seyler ◽  
Zbigniew Roslaniec

Morphology and mechanical properties of polyamide 12 (PA12)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blends The morphology, thermal and mechanical properties of polyamide 12 (PA12)/poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) blends were investigated. These polymers are engineering, semi-crystalline polymers which are reciprocally immiscible. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the polymeric materials. Mechanical properties were examined by static tensile test. The investigations demonstrate that blends with higher amount of PVDF, with the morphology of two co-continuous semicristalline phases, exhibit better mechanical properties. The blends with small content of PVDF and prepared by extrusion show the morphology of small separated domains of PVDF and full continuous PA phase. The morphology of these blends is different than the blends prepared by internal mixer and have better mechanical properties too. Thus they can be used in particular applications without a compatibilizing agent.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah Severseike ◽  
Vania Lee ◽  
Taycia Brandon ◽  
Chris Bakken ◽  
Varun Bhatia

AbstractAnatomical 3-D printing has potential for many uses in education, research and development, implant training, and procedure planning. Conventionally, the material properties of 3D printed anatomical models have often been similar only in form and not in mechanical response compared to biological tissue. The new Digital Anatomy material from Stratasys utilizes composite printed materials to more closely mimic the mechanical properties of tissue. Work was done to evaluate Digital Anatomy myocardium under axial loading for comparison with porcine myocardium regarding puncture, compliance, suturing, and cutting performance.In general, the Digital Anatomy myocardium showed promising comparisons to porcine myocardium. For compliance testing, the Digital Anatomy was either within the same range as the porcine myocardium or stiffer. Specifically, for use conditions involving higher stress concentrations or smaller displacements, Digital Anatomy was stiffer. Digital Anatomy did not perform as strongly as porcine myocardium when evaluating suture and cutting properties. The suture tore through the printed material more easily and had higher friction forces both during needle insertion and cutting. Despite these differences, the new Digital Anatomy myocardium material was much closer to the compliance of real tissue than other 3D printed materials. Furthermore, unlike biological tissue, Digital Anatomy provided repeatability of results. For tests such as cyclic compression, the material showed less than two percent variation in results between trials and between parts, resulting in lower variability than tissue. Despite some limitations, the myocardium Digital Anatomy material can be used to configure structures with similar mechanical properties to porcine myocardium in a repeatable manner, making this a valuable research tool.


Author(s):  
Hassan Gonabadi ◽  
Yao Chen ◽  
Arti Yadav ◽  
Steve Bull

AbstractAlthough the literature is abundant with the experimental methods to characterize mechanical behavior of parts made by fused filament fabrication 3D printing, less attention has been paid in using computational models to predict the mechanical properties of these parts. In the present paper, a numerical homogenization technique is developed to predict the effect of printing process parameters on the elastic response of 3D printed parts with cellular lattice structures. The development of finite element computational models of printed parts is based on a multi scale approach. Initially, at the micro scale level, the analysis of micro-mechanical models of a representative volume element is used to calculate the effective orthotropic properties. The finite element models include different infill densities and building/raster orientation maintaining the bonded region between the adjacent fibers and layers. The elastic constants obtained by this method are then used as an input for the creation of macro scale finite element models enabling the simulation of the mechanical response of printed samples subjected to the bending, shear, and tensile loads. Finally, the results obtained by the homogenization technique are validated against more realistic finite element explicit microstructural models and experimental measurements. The results show that, providing an accurate characterization of the properties to be fed into the macro scale model, the use of the homogenization technique is a reliable tool to predict the elastic response of 3D printed parts. The outlined approach provides faster iterative design of 3D printed parts, contributing to reducing the number of experimental replicates and fabrication costs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramesh Chand ◽  
Vishal S Sharma ◽  
Trehan Rajeev

Abstract Polymer material based products in the engineering field are most widely produced by the multi jet printing (MJP). These products impart inherent benefits in manufacturing intricate contours and shapes at less additional expenses. This emphasizes the importance of studying the mechanical behavior of the manufactured parts, using polymeric materials in different orientations. In this investigation density, tensile behavior & hardness were studied for 3D-printed parts produced in four different orientations (A, B, C and D). It is found that for the best mechanical properties part should be fabricated using orientation ‘A’. Furthermore, for density and tensile strength part should not be fabricated using orientation ‘C’. Also in case of hardness part should not be fabricated in orientation ‘B’.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Sabatini Mattei ◽  
Boyuan Liu ◽  
Gerardo A. Mazzei Capote ◽  
Zijie Liu ◽  
Brandon G. Hacha ◽  
...  

Photonic topological insulators have emerged as an exciting new platform for backscatter-free waveguiding even in the presence of defects, with applications in robust long-range energy and quantum information transfer, spectroscopy and sensing, chiral quantum optics, and optoelectronics. We demonstrate a design for spin-Hall photonic topological insulators with remarkably low refractive index contrast, enabling the synthesis of photonic topological waveguides from polymeric materials for the first time. Our design is compatible with additive manufacturing methods, including fused filament fabrication for microwave frequencies, and constitutes the first demonstration of a 3D printed all-dielectric photonic topological insulator. We combine rapid device fabrication through 3D printing with high-speed FDTD simulation to quantify topological protection of transmission through “omega” shaped bent topological waveguides and find that one corner in the waveguide is 3-5 times more robust to disorder than the other. This dichotomy, a new empirical design rule for ℤ2 topological insulator devices, is shown to originate in the fundamental system symmetries and is illustrated via the distributions of Poynting vectors that describe energy flow through the waveguide. Taken together, our demonstration of 3D printed polymeric spin-Hall photonic topological insulators paired with quantification of robustness to disorder at bent topological interfaces provides a rapid, flexible scheme for engineering high-performance topological photonic devices across multiple frequency regimes from microwave to THz, to visible.


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