Additive Manufacturing of Wholly Thermoplastic Composites

TLCP reinforced composite has been widely used in different application due to their lightweight, high strength and stiffness, chemical resistance and great recyclability. In this work, TLCP reinforced nylon composite has been developed for using in 3D printing process. TLCP reinforced nylon filaments were generated using dual extrusion, a process by which two single crew extruders are used to individually process two plastics at their optimal processing temperature and pump them directly into a T junction in which a reinforcement material is dispersed throughout a matrix material via a static mixer, then extruded out of a nozzle and cooled in a water bath. Different pumping speeds were controlled via individual gear pumps connected to each extruder. Pump speeds were adjusted to produce 20 wt% TLCP/nylon composite. The filament was then collected and prepared for use in 3D printing.

Flexible, multifunctional, and thermally conductive nylon/graphene nanoplatelet composite papers with excellent EMI shielding performance, improved hydrophobicity and flame resistance

Nylon composite papers, prepared by a feasible and scaled method, exhibit excellent thermal conductivity, satisfactory EMI shielding performance, hydrophobicity and flame resistance, and have many potential applications in electronic devices.

Highly Anisotropic Thermal and Electrical Conductivities of Nylon Composite Papers with the Integration of Strength and Toughness

ABSTRACT The mechanical properties of thermally conductive composites are the key to realize their applications. Strength of materials is of significance, nevertheless it also should be noticeable to concern the...

Study of Shape Memory and Tensile Property of 3D Printed Sinusoidal Sample/Nylon Composite Focused on Various Thicknesses and Shape Memory Cycles

This study evaluated the shape memory and tensile property of 3D-printed sinusoidal sample/nylon composite for various thickness and cycles. Sinusoidal pattern of five thicknesses: 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, and 1.0 mm were 3D-printed on nylon fabric by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer using shape memory thermoplastic polyurethane (SMTPU). Afterward, shape memory and tensile property was investigated up to 50 shape memory cycles. The study found that 3D-printed sinusoidal sample/nylon composite had a 100% shape recovery ratio for various thicknesses up to 50 cycles. The average shape recovery rate gradually decreased from 3.0°/s to 0.7°/s whereas the response time gradually increased with the increase of a 3D-printed pattern thickness. The stress and initial modulus gradually increased with the increase of the cycle’s number. Thus, the shape memory property had a similar tendency for various cycles whereas the tensile property gradually increased with the increase of the cycle number. Moreover, this study demonstrated that this 3D-printed sinusoidal sample/nylon composite can go through more than 50 cycles without losing its tensile or shape memory property. This 3D-printed sinusoidal sample/nylon composite has vast potential as smart, reinforced, and protective clothing that requires complex three-dimensional shapes.

Preparation and Properties of Nylon 6,6 Grafted Graphene Composites

Nylon 6,6 composite fiber containing grafted graphene (nylon 6,6-g-graphene) was prepared by nylon and graphene grafted with acyl chloride (graphene-COCl) through extrusion reaction. Graphene-COCl was prepared through acid-treated reacting, graphene with thionyl chloride functional group. The chemical structure of nylon 6,6-g-graphene obtained using reactive extrusion technique was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. It was found that this kind of composite fiber has the characteristics of less amount of graphene and excellent mechanical properties and has certain application prospects. Nylon 6,6-g-graphene dispersed evenly in the Nylon composite. But pristine graphene exhibited aggregate structure when composite was produced by pristine graphene through reactive extrusion. The composite reinforcement was increased obviously with the increase content of grafted graphene. After examined, the nylon/nylon 6,6-g-graphene with a certain content grafted graphene composite exhibited high level of reinforcement, and mechanical properties were improved.