Comparison of Ultem 9085 Used in Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) with Polytherimide Blends

Abstract

Polyetherimide (PEI) blends modified by either polycarbonate (PC) or polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG) were prepared. The latter modifier (PETG) was an industrial grade widely used for fused deposition modelling (FDM) printing. PEI blends were compared to Ultem 9085, which is the standard PEI grade for FDM printing in advanced applications. All the blends were thoroughly characterized in terms of their rheological, morphological, thermomechanical and tensile properties. Ultem 9085 showed improved rheology for processing over standard PEI. PEI/PC blends with 10 wt % of modifier developed here closely matched the viscosity behavior of Ultem 9085. On the other hand, the blends with low PC content (i.e., less than 20 wt %) outperformed Ultem 9085 in terms of thermal and tensile properties. When PETG was added, similar tensile properties to Ultem 9085 were found. The immiscibility for PC contents higher than 20 wt % deteriorated the tensile properties, making it less attractive for applications, although melt viscosity decreased further for increasing PC contents.

Material Considerations for Fused-Filament Fabrication of Solid Dosage Forms

“…Through melt-blending, the authors were able to produce prints with comparable performance to those using higher cost polyurethane filaments. Although the majority of other studies are concerned with non-pharmaceutical polymers [ 55 , 56 , 57 ], some researchers are examining melt-blends in FFF for medical applications. Kosorn et al [ 58 ] produced blends containing different compositions of polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co -3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBHV) for porous scaffolds.…”

Fabrication and Characterisation of Aligned Discontinuous Carbon Fibre Reinforced Thermoplastics as Feedstock Material for Fused Filament Fabrication

“…It is often added to filaments to improve the printing quality but is not currently available on the market as filament. Polyetherimide (PEI) is common high-end 3D printing material also known as Ultem [ 49 , 50 ]. It is an amorphous polymer with a very low shrinkage and good interfacial properties with carbon fibre [ 33 ].…”

“…It is an amorphous polymer with a very low shrinkage and good interfacial properties with carbon fibre [ 33 ]. It has a relatively high processing temperature and high viscosity, but additives may be used to improve the flow properties [ 49 , 50 ]. Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a high-performance engineering thermoplastic used in structural applications [ 46 ].…”

Polylactide (PLA) Filaments a Biobased Solution for Additive Manufacturing: Correlating Rheology and Thermomechanical Properties with Printing Quality

“…The relevance of the bond quality between adjacent filaments depends on the printing parameters, as well as on the melt viscosity of the polymer used for the filaments. However, to the best of our knowledge, the impact of rheology on the FDM printing process has been only investigated in the literature by few studies, such as those from McIlroy et al [ 18 , 19 ], Murphy and Collins [ 20 ], and Cicala et al [ 21 ]. Therefore, a major point deserving of a more detailed analysis is the study of the rheological behavior of polymer melts during FDM processing to rationalize the effect of melt behavior on printing quality.…”