Investigating the Mechanical Behavior of 3D Printed PLA-Coco Coir Composites

It is quite amazing that the use of 3D printing techniques, especially the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) has delivered such significance in terms of cost reduction, time saver features where a different variety of thermoplastic and composite materials (Biodegradable and Non-biodegradable) are well developed. Different sectors have continually developed natural organic materials that are also both structurally composite in nature. Similarly, the use of different fibers that are abundantly accessible and considered as renewable resources which can be optionally combined with other biodegradable materials is a great challenge through the use of the FDM printing method. The study aims to determine the effect of different particle size and raster angle at a certain fiber concentration which could affect the mechanical properties of the composite by developing a printable composite filament made of Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Coco Coir materials using a filament maker and FDM printer. The composite filament was fabricated and optimized using a twin-screw extruder and 3D Devo Filament maker. 3D printing of samples for mechanical testing was conducted using three (3) raster angles (45o, 60o, and 75o) and various particle sizes of coco coir fiber reinforcement in the PLA matrix. Results showed that the < 74μm particle size of the coco-coir exhibited a 24% and 175% increase in tensile strength and izod impact strength compared to the pure PLA at 60o and 75o raster angles, respectively. Likewise, the reinforcement of <149μm particle size coco coir at 45o raster angle contributes to an increase of 4.8% flexural and 176% compressive strength compared to pure PLA. The study concludes that there is an improvement in the mechanical properties of the PLA-Coco Coir composite at a certain particle size and raster angle in 3D printing.

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Current State and Challenges of Natural Fibre-Reinforced Polymer Composites as Feeder in FDM-Based 3D Printing

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13142289 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 2289

Author(s):

Nishata Royan Rajendran Royan ◽

Jie Sheng Leong ◽

Wai Nam Chan ◽

Jie Ren Tan ◽

Zainon Sharmila Binti Shamsuddin

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Natural Fibre ◽

Critical Discussion ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Preparation Methods ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Current State ◽

Future Challenges ◽

Raster Angle ◽

Fibre Reinforced Polymer

As one of the fastest-growing additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, fused deposition modelling (FDM) shows great potential in printing natural fibre-reinforced composites (NFRC). However, several challenges, such as low mechanical properties and difficulty in printing, need to be overcome. Therefore, the effort to improve the NFRC for use in AM has been accelerating in recent years. This review attempts to summarise the current approaches of using NFRC as a feeder for AM. The effects of fibre treatments, composite preparation methods and addition of compatibilizer agents were analysed and discussed. Additionally, current methods of producing feeders from NFRCs were reviewed and discussed. Mechanical property of printed part was also dependent on the printing parameters, and thus the effects of printing temperature, layer height, infill and raster angle were discussed, and the best parameters reported by other researchers were identified. Following that, an overview of the mechanical properties of these composites as reported by various researchers was provided. Next, the use of optimisation techniques for NFRCs was discussed and analysed. Lastly, the review provided a critical discussion on the overall topic, identified all research gaps present in the use of NFRC for AM processes, and to overcome future challenges.

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Mechanical Properties of Diamond Schwarzites: From Atomistic Models to 3D-Printed Structures

MRS Advances ◽

10.1557/adv.2020.175 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (33-34) ◽

pp. 1775-1781 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Levi C. Felix ◽

Vladimir Gaál ◽

Cristiano F. Woellner ◽

Varlei Rodrigues ◽

Douglas S. Galvao

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

3D Printing ◽

Uniaxial Compression ◽

Chemical Vapour ◽

Md Simulations ◽

Atomic Model ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Structural Applications ◽

3D Printed

ABSTRACTTriply Periodic Minimal Surfaces (TPMS) possess locally minimized surface area under the constraint of periodic boundary conditions. Different families of surfaces were obtained with different topologies satisfying such conditions. Examples of such families include Primitive (P), Gyroid (G) and Diamond (D) surfaces. From a purely mathematical subject, TPMS have been recently found in materials science as optimal geometries for structural applications. Proposed by Mackay and Terrones in 1991, schwarzites are 3D crystalline porous carbon nanocrystals exhibiting a TPMS-like surface topology. Although their complex topology poses serious limitations on their synthesis with conventional nanoscale fabrication methods, such as Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD), schwarzites can be fabricated by Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques, such as 3D Printing. In this work, we used an optimized atomic model of a schwarzite structure from the D family (D8bal) to generate a surface mesh that was subsequently used for 3D-printing through Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). This D schwarzite was 3D-printed with thermoplastic PolyLactic Acid (PLA) polymer filaments. Mechanical properties under uniaxial compression were investigated for both the atomic model and the 3D-printed one. Fully atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were also carried out to investigate the uniaxial compression behavior of the D8bal atomic model. Mechanical testings were performed on the 3D-printed schwarzite where the deformation mechanisms were found to be similar to those observed in MD simulations. These results are suggestive of a scale-independent mechanical behavior that is dominated by structural topology.

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Biogenic Composite Filaments Based on Polylactide and Diatomaceous Earth for 3D Printing

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13204632 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (20) ◽

pp. 4632

Author(s):

Marta Dobrosielska ◽

Robert Przekop ◽

Bogna Sztorch ◽

Dariusz Brząkalski ◽

Izabela Zgłobicka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

3D Printing ◽

Mechanical Characteristics ◽

Filler Particle ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Water Contact ◽

Rheological Analysis ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Filler Particle Size ◽

Composite Properties

New composites containing a natural filler made of diatom shells (frustules), permitting the modification of polylactide matrix, were produced by Fused Deposition Modelling (3D printing) and were thoroughly examined. Two mesh fractions of the filler were used, one of <40 µm and the other of 40−63 µm, in order to check the effect of the filler particle size on the composite properties. The composites obtained contained diatom shells in the concentrations from 0% to 5% wt. (0−27.5% vol.) and were subjected to rheological analysis. The composites obtained as filaments of 1.75 mm in diameter were used for 3D printing. The printed samples were characterized as to hydrophilic–hydrophobic, thermal and mechanical properties. The functional parameters of the printed objects, e.g., mechanical characteristics, stability on contact with water and water contact angle, were measured. The results revealed differences in the processing behavior of the samples as well as the effect of secondary granulation of the filler on the parameters of the printing and mechanical properties of the composites.

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Investigation of a Short Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Polyamide and Comparison of Two Manufacturing Processes: Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) and Polymer Injection Moulding (PIM)

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma13030672 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 672 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Elena Verdejo de Toro ◽

Juana Coello Sobrino ◽

Alberto Martínez Martínez ◽

Valentín Miguel Eguía ◽

Jorge Ayllón Pérez

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Additive Manufacturing ◽

3D Printing ◽

Injection Moulding ◽

New Technologies ◽

Mechanical Response ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Polymer Injection ◽

Fused Deposition

New technologies are offering progressively more effective alternatives to traditional ones. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is gaining importance in fields related to design, manufacturing, engineering and medicine, especially in applications which require complex geometries. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is framed within AM as a technology in which, due to their layer-by-layer deposition, thermoplastic polymers are used for manufacturing parts with a high degree of accuracy and minimum material waste during the process. The traditional technology corresponding to FDM is Polymer Injection Moulding, in which polymeric pellets are injected by pressure into a mould using the required geometry. The increasing use of PA6 in Additive Manufacturing makes it necessary to study the possibility of replacing certain parts manufactured by injection moulding with those created using FDM. In this work, PA6 was selected due to its higher mechanical properties in comparison with PA12. Moreover, its higher melting point has been a limitation for 3D printing technology, and a further study of composites made of PA6 using 3D printing processes is needed. Nevertheless, analysis of the mechanical response of standardised samples and the influence of the manufacturing process on the polyamide’s mechanical properties needs to be carried out. In this work, a comparative study between the two processes was conducted, and conclusions were drawn from an engineering perspective.

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Parameters Affecting the Mechanical Properties of Three-Dimensional (3D) Printed Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polylactide Composites

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym12112456 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 2456

Author(s):

Demei Lee ◽

Guan-Yu Wu

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Carbon Fiber ◽

3D Printing ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Bed Temperature ◽

3D Printed ◽

The Impact

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is a manufacturing technology which creates three-dimensional objects layer-by-layer or drop-by-drop with minimal material waste. Despite the fact that 3D printing is a versatile and adaptable process and has advantages in establishing complex and net-shaped structures over conventional manufacturing methods, the challenge remains in identifying the optimal parameters for the 3D printing process. This study investigated the influence of processing parameters on the mechanical properties of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)-printed carbon fiber-filled polylactide (CFR-PLA) composites by employing an orthogonal array model. After printing, the tensile and impact strengths of the printed composites were measured, and the effects of different parameters on these strengths were examined. The experimental results indicate that 3D-printed CFR-PLA showed a rougher surface morphology than virgin PLA. For the variables selected in this analysis, bed temperature was identified as the most influential parameter on the tensile strength of CFR-PLA-printed parts, while bed temperature and print orientation were the key parameters affecting the impact strengths of printed composites. The 45° orientation printed parts also showed superior mechanical strengths than the 90° printed parts.

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A Low-Cost Method to Prepare Biocompatible Filaments with Enhanced Physico-mechanical Properties for FDM 3D Printing

Current Drug Delivery ◽

10.2174/1567201817999201103195456 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 ◽

Author(s):

Deck Khong Tan ◽

Niko Münzenrieder ◽

Mohammed Maniruzzaman ◽

Ali Nokhodchi

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Low Cost ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Processing Temperature ◽

Melt Extrusion ◽

Screw Extruder ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Single Screw ◽

Pharmaceutical Applications ◽

Twin Screw

Background: Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printing has received much interest as a fabrication method in the medical and pharmaceutical industry due to its accessibility and cost-effectiveness. A low-cost method to produce biocompatible and biodegradable filaments can improve the usability of FDM 3D printing for biomedical applications. Objectives: The feasibility of producing low-cost filaments suitable for FDM 3D printing via single screw and twin-screw hot melt extrusion was explored. Methods: A single-screw extruder and a twin-screw extruder were used to produce biocompatible filaments composed of varying concentrations of polyethylene glycol (PEG) at 10%, 20%, 30% w/w and polylactic acid (PLA) 90%, 80% and 70% w/w, respectively. DSC, TGA and FTIR were employed to investigate the effect of PEG on the PLA filaments. Results: The presence of PEG lowered the processing temperature of the formulation compositions via melt-extrusion, making it suitable for pharmaceutical applications. The use of PEG can lower the melting point of the PLA polymer to 170 °C, hence lowering the printing temperature. PEG can also improve the plasticity of the filaments, as the rupture strain of twinscrew extruded filaments increased up to 10-fold as compared to the commercial filaments. Advanced application of FTIR analysis confirmed the compatibility and miscibility of PEG with PLA. Conclusion: Twin-screw extrusion is more effective in producing a polymeric mixture of filaments as the mixing is more homogenous. The PEG/PLA filament is suitable to be used in 3D printing of medical or pharmaceutical applications such as medical implants, drug delivery systems, or personalised tablets.

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Investigating Commercial Filaments for 3D Printing of Stiff and Elastic Constructs with Ligament-Like Mechanics

Micromachines ◽

10.3390/mi11090846 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 846

Author(s):

Audrey A. Pitaru ◽

Jean-Gabriel Lacombe ◽

Megan E. Cooke ◽

Lorne Beckman ◽

Thomas Steffen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

3D Printing ◽

Fused Deposition Modeling ◽

Cruciate Ligament ◽

Standard Technique ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Dog Bone ◽

Elastomeric Materials ◽

Raster Angle ◽

Anterior Cruciate

The current gold standard technique for treatment of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is reconstruction with autograft. These treatments have a relatively high failure and re-tear rate. To overcome this, tissue engineering and additive manufacturing are being used to explore the potential of 3D scaffolds as autograft substitutes. However, mechanically optimal polymers for this have yet to be identified. Here, we use 3D printing technology and various materials with the aim of fabricating constructs better matching the mechanical properties of the native ACL. A fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer was used to microfabricate dog bone-shaped specimens from six different polymers—PLA, PETG, Lay FOMM 60, NinjaFlex, NinjaFlex-SemiFlex, and FlexiFil—at three different raster angles. The tensile mechanical properties of these polymers were determined from stress–strain curves. Our results indicate that no single material came close enough to successfully match reported mechanical properties of the native ACL. However, PLA and PETG had similar ultimate tensile strengths. Lay FOMM 60 displayed a percentage strain at failure similar to reported values for native ACL. Furthermore, raster angle had a significant impact on some mechanical properties for all of the materials except for FlexiFil. We therefore conclude that while none of these materials alone is optimal for mimicking ACL mechanical properties, there may be potential for creating a 3D-printed composite constructs to match ACL mechanical properties. Further investigations involving co-printing of stiff and elastomeric materials must be explored.

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Experimental investigation of FDM process for improvement of mechanical properties and production cost

Rapid Prototyping Journal ◽

10.1108/rpj-10-2012-0091 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 228-235 ◽

Cited By ~ 192

Author(s):

Ismail Durgun ◽

Rukiye Ertan

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Surface Roughness ◽

Production Cost ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Content Type ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Raster Angle ◽

Part Orientation ◽

Selection Of

Purpose – The mechanical properties and surface finish of functional parts are important consideration in rapid prototyping, and the selection of proper parameters is essential to improve manufacturing solutions. The purpose of this paper is to describe how parts manufactured by fused deposition modelling (FDM), with different part orientations and raster angles, were examined experimentally and evaluated to achieve the desired properties of the parts while shortening the manufacturing times due to maintenance costs. Design/methodology/approach – For this purpose, five different raster angles (0°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 90°) for three part orientations (horizontal, vertical and perpendicular) have been manufactured by the FDM method and tested for surface roughness, tensile strength and flexural strength. Also, behaviour of the mechanical properties was clarified with scanning electron microscopy images of fracture surfaces. Findings – The research results suggest that the orientation has a more significant influence than the raster angle on the surface roughness and mechanical behaviour of the resulting fused deposition part. The results indicate that there is close relationship between the surface roughness and the mechanical properties. Originality/value – The results of this paper are useful in defining the most appropriate raster angle and part orientation in minimum production cost for FDM components on the basis of their expected in-service loading.

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Biodegradable Poly(Lactic Acid) Nanocomposites for Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printing

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano10122567 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2567

Author(s):

Madison Bardot ◽

Michael D. Schulz

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Lactic Acid ◽

3D Printing ◽

Fused Deposition Modeling ◽

Ecological Crisis ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Biodegradable Poly ◽

Deposition Modeling

3D printing by fused deposition modelling (FDM) enables rapid prototyping and fabrication of parts with complex geometries. Unfortunately, most materials suitable for FDM 3D printing are non-degradable, petroleum-based polymers. The current ecological crisis caused by plastic waste has produced great interest in biodegradable materials for many applications, including 3D printing. Poly(lactic acid) (PLA), in particular, has been extensively investigated for FDM applications. However, most biodegradable polymers, including PLA, have insufficient mechanical properties for many applications. One approach to overcoming this challenge is to introduce additives that enhance the mechanical properties of PLA while maintaining FDM 3D printability. This review focuses on PLA-based nanocomposites with cellulose, metal-based nanoparticles, continuous fibers, carbon-based nanoparticles, or other additives. These additives impact both the physical properties and printability of the resulting nanocomposites. We also detail the optimal conditions for using these materials in FDM 3D printing. These approaches demonstrate the promise of developing nanocomposites that are both biodegradable and mechanically robust.

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Experimental investigation of strength properties of 3D printed ABS composites

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202130901148 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 309 ◽

pp. 01148

Author(s):

Abdul Quader Shurjeel ◽

Narendra Pothula ◽

Eshwaraiah Punna

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene ◽

Maximum Load ◽

Strength Properties ◽

Fused Deposition Modelling ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Raster Angle ◽

Current Scenario ◽

Superior Mechanical Properties ◽

Butadiene Styrene

Owing to the huge demand and dependency of the industry on the lightweight and superior mechanical properties products as well as components, the materials like CF-ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene reinforced with carbon fibers) and PC-ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene reinforced with polycarbonate) have gained utmost importance in the current scenario. The present research in this paper focuses on finding the mechanical properties, mainly the tensile, compression, and flexural properties of both the above-said materials. FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling) is used as the printing technique in this research as it is the most suitable and widely used for the selected materials. After experimentation, a comparison was made between the two materials, and it is found that the PC-ABS material is stronger in compression, tension as well as in flexural at all the parametric settings. The infill percentage was observed to be proportional to the strength of the material as expected. Triangular infill geometry was more strong in compression and flexural whereas grid infill geometry was strong in tension. produced stronger mechanical properties were observed for 0-degree raster angle in all the three criteria compared to the 45 and 90-degree raster angles. When the variation of the strength of the material with the infill geometry was observed, the infill geometry was more sensitive in compression and flexural compared to that in tension. The load vs. displacement curves have been plotted to depict the maximum load and the behavior of the material in the elastic and plastic regions.

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