Abstract
The objective of this study is to manufacture composite filaments to be used in three-dimensional (3D) printing of fabrics using fused deposition modeling (FDM) method. The primary properties of a fabric are flexibility and strength which are lacking in the available 3D printed materials. Polylactic acid (PLA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) were blended in different proportions and extruded using twin-screw extruder to obtain composite filaments. The properties of the filaments were studied using various material characterization methods such as uniaxial tensile test, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). With the addition of PEG in the PLA/TPU composition, it was found that the yield stress and Young’s modulus of the composite filaments have significantly decreased compared to that of pure PLA filament. It was also noted that there was no significant difference in ultimate tensile strength whereas the elongation at break was increased by more than 500%. Using the composite filament, a plain weave fabric structure was 3D printed to investigate the printing ability of a complex structure. It is concluded that the composite filaments developed are suitable for 3D printing but non-uniformity in diameter affects the print quality and hence the overall properties of fabrics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 4800-4825 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2023 |
Externally published | Yes |
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was partially supported by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Auburn University and partially by the Interdisciplinary Center for Advanced Manufacturing Systems (ICAMS) with funding from the Industrial Base Analysis & Sustainment Program of the Industrial Base Policy Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, awarded by US Army Contract W52PLJ-20–9-3045.
Keywords
- 3D printing
- Polylactic acid
- composite filament
- fabrics
- poly(ethylene) glycol
- thermoplastic polyurethane