3D printing of copper particles and poly(methyl methacrylate) beads containing poly(lactic acid) composites for enhancing thermomechanical properties

Abstract

Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composite filaments with different copper (Cu) contents as high as 40 and 20 wt% of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) beads have been fabricated by twin-screw extruder for 3D printing. A fuseddeposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology has been used to print the PLA composites containing hybrid fillers of Cu particles and PMMA beads. The morphology, mechanical, and thermal properties of the printed PLA composites were investigated. The tensile strength was slightly decreased, but storage modulus and thermal conductivity of PLA composites were significantly improved by adding Cu particles in the presence of PMMA beads. The PLA composites with hybrid fillers of 40 wt% of Cu particles and 20 wt% of PMMA beads resulted in thermal conductivity of 0.49 W m −1 K −1 which was three times higher than that of the bare PLA resin. The facilitation of the segregated network of high-thermally conductive Cu particles with the PMMA beads in PLA matrix provided thermally conductive pathways and resulted in a remarkable enhancement in thermal conductivity.

Explication of mechanism governing atmospheric degradation of 3D-printed poly(lactic acid) (PLA) with different in-fill pattern and varying in-fill density

“…38,39 Therefore, with the popularity of 3D-printing technology, PLA has become a very good option for printing as it is easy to handle, bio-degradable, environment friendly, has low cost and most importantly, it is highly adaptable to different materials including carbon, nylon and some other bres. 40,41 Irrespective of the method of fabrication, PLA is still susceptible to degradation under operating conditions. 3Dprinting of PLA may give benets in terms of component performance, but the inherent degradation of PLA material itself under natural conditions like ultra-violet rays (UV), humidity, water, fumes, etc.…”

Effect of Printing Parameters on the Tensile Properties of 3D-Printed Polylactic Acid (PLA) Based on Fused Deposition Modeling

“…Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the AM building methods that adds thermoplastic materials, including polylactic acid (PLA), polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG), polycarbonate (PC) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) with an extrusion nozzle, layer-by-layer, and it is also the most common technique used in AM because it is economical, simple to use, uses multiple materials and has a high processing speed, compared to traditional manufacturing [ 5 , 6 ]. PLA is the most popular material used in FDM because it is biodegradable, environmentally friendly, low cost and highly adaptable to different materials, including carbon, nylon and some other fibers [ 7 , 8 ]. Certain objects made of composites can be irradiated by ultraviolet (UV) light during or after the printing process by a UV curing machine to enhance the combination of the printed materials [ 9 , 10 ].…”

Process window identification for 3D printing low melting point alloy (LMPA) using fused deposition modelling (FDM)

“…SEM confirmed the uniform diffusion of PMMA in PLA, resulting in the separation of copper particles in the PLA matrix. The above-stated work demonstrated by Vu et al (2020) can be used to improve the thermomechanical properties of polymer composites filaments.…”

“…Composite polymer filaments of diameter of 1.75 mm were produced through a die extruder at a varying temperature in the range of 165°C–195°C by combining PLA pellets, copper particles (40% by weight) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) beads (20% by weight) (Vu et al , 2020). The thermal conductivity for the above combination comes out to be 0.49 W m −1 K −1 , three times higher than ordinary PLA.…”