In-house processing of carbon fiber-reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFR-PEEK) 3D printable filaments and fused filament fabrication-3D printing of CFR-PEEK parts

Abstract

PEEK has several approving mechanical properties; however, for certain demanding applications such as automotive, PEEK does not exhibit the required strength. Moreover, if the PEEK parts are developed by Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF)-based 3D Printing, there is a high chance of having PEEK parts with decreased mechanical properties. Carbon Fiber (CF) reinforcement is a well-known method of mitigating the low mechanical properties of PEEK. Hence, in the present study, we attempted to develop CFreinforced PEEK (CFR-PEEK) parts via FFF. First, we developed homogeneous CFR-PEEK mixtures via ball milling and explored the effects of different milling duration and speeds on the extent of uniform dispersion of the CFs in the PEEK matrix. Next, we fed the CFR-PEEK milled powders into a hightemperature extrusion setup to develop uniform-diameter CFR-PEEK laments. We analyzed the effects of different extrusion parameters on the uniform-diameter CFR-PEEK lament quality to make it suitable for 3D Printing. Finally, the CFR-PEEK laments were used in a high-temperature FFF setup to develop designspeci c parts. Our results indicate that 400 rpm and 4h were apt for developing uniform CFR-PEEK mixtures. Interestingly, increasing the CF content above 10 vol% resulted in brittle laments. The extrusion temperature, speed, and cooling rate played a major role in forming the uniform-diameter CFR-PEEK laments. Finally, the 3D printed CFR-PEEK parts exhibited a tensile strength of 49MPa, lesser than un lled PEEK. We indicate that poor interfacial bonding of the CF with the PEEK matrix is a primary reason for this reduced strength. In addition, printing defects such as pores also contributed to the reduced strength of the CFR-PEEK parts.

Characterization of the Polyetheretherketone Weldment Fabricated via Rotary Friction Welding

“…However, the peak temperature in the weld interface is only about 363 • C. The possible reason is that the friction coefficient of the material is different due to the high rotation speed. It is interesting to note that these temperatures at the weld joint were higher than the melting point of PEEK polymer materials [28].…”

“…The possible reason is that the friction coefficient of the material is different due to the high rotation speed. It is interesting to note that these temperatures at the weld joint were higher than the melting point of PEEK polymer materials [28]. Five test specimens and five rotational speeds were used to perform RFW in this study.…”

“…The length and diameter were about 40 mm and 20 mm, respectively. It is noteworthy that the PEEK polymer rod has a melting point of around 343 • C and a decomposition temperature of approximately 575 • C [28]. The speed of the spindle was kept at constant speeds of 1000, 1350, 2000, 3000, and 4000 rpm, respectively.…”

“…To study the effects of the burn-off length on the weldment quality of PEEK polymer rods, eight different burn-off lengths of welded parts were employed in this study, i.e., 1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.8, and 2 mm. the PEEK polymer rod has a melting point of around 343 °C and a decomposition temperature of approximately 575 °C [28]. The speed of the spindle was kept at constant speeds of 1000, 1350, 2000, 3000, and 4000 rpm, respectively.…”

Fabrication and Characterisation of Sustainable 3D-Printed Parts Using Post-Consumer PLA Plastic and Virgin PLA Blends

“…Secondly, the hot material (filament) was extruded along the winding path and cooled using fans. Thirdly, the extruded material was wound onto a spooler holder at a constant rate to maintain uniform filament quality (Figure 3) [46,47].…”