Additive manufacturing of interlaced fibrous structures

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to design 3D print and analyze mechanical as well as microstructural behavior of interlaced fibrous structures using Dremel 3D45 additive manufacturing (AM) machine. Design/methodology/approach: A series of plain and twill weave fabrics are designed using computer-aided design software Solidworks and printed using fused deposition modeling machines to determine the best model that could be printable. The structures were designed in such a way that the fabricated yarns with pure (PLA) were not sticking to each other in the fabric structure. The specimens were printed in vertical orientation and then tensile and three-point bending (flexural) tests were conducted for twill weave fabrics. Findings: The tests showed that the mechanical strength was higher in the warp direction than in the weft direction. This difference was because of printing of continuous filament-like yarns in the warp direction and staple-like yarns in the weft direction. This orthotropic property of the material was verified by analyzing its microscopic structures via optical microscope. Research limitations/implications: Future work should include improvement of the structure and exploration of different polymers and their composites to increase the tensile, bending and other strengths to make the 3D-printed structures more flexible and stronger. Future research should also focus on the large-scale manufacturing of 3D printed fabrics. Practical implications: This paper supports work on wearable 3D-printed fabrics. The 3D-printed fabric will also contribute to new applications and products such as liquid filters. Originality/value: The research done in this work is new and original. This paper contributes to new knowledge by providing a better understanding of polymers and their 3D printing capabilities to form a complex fabric structure.