ABSTRACT
A 3D printed composite via the fused filament fabrication (FFF) technique has potential to enhance the mechanical properties of FFF 3D printed parts. The most commonly employed techniques for 3D composite printing (method 1) utilized premixed composite filaments, where the fibers were integrated into thermoplastic materials prior to printing. In the second method (method 2), short fibers and thermoplastic were mixed together within the extruder of a 3D printer to form a composite part. However, no research has been conducted on method 3, which involves embedding short fibers into the printed object during the actual printing process. A novel approach concerning 3D printing in situ fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) by embedding glass fibers between deposited layers during printing was proposed recently. An experimental investigation has been undertaken to evaluate the tensile behavior of the composites manufactured by the new manufacturing method. Neat polylactic acid (PLA) and three different glass fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (GFPLA) composites with 1.02%, 2.39%, and 4.98% glass fiber contents, respectively, were 3Dprinted. Tensile tests were conducted with five repetitions for each sample. The fracture surfaces of the samples were then observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, the porosities of the 3D printed samples were measured with a image processing software (ImageJ 1.53t). The result shows that the tensile strengths of GFPLA were higher than the neat PLA. The tensile strength of the composites increased from GFPLA-1 (with a 1.02% glass fiber content) to GFPLA-2.4 (with a 2.39% glass fiber content), but drastically dropped at GFPLA-5 (with a 4.98% glass fiber content). However, the tensile strength of GFPLA-5 is still higher than the neat PLA. The fracture surfaces of tensile samples were observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM images showed the average line width of the deposited material increased as glass fiber content increased, while layer height was maintained. The intralayer bond of the deposited filaments improved via the new fiber embedding method. Hence, the porosity area is reduced as glass fiber content increased.
ABSTRACT
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is an actively growing additive manufacturing (AM) technology due to its ability to produce complex shapes in a short time. AM, also known as 3-dimensional printing (3DP), creates the desired shape by adding material, preferably by layering contoured layers on top of each other. The need for low cost, design flexibility and automated manufacturing processes in industry has triggered the development of FDM. However, the mechanical properties of FDM printed parts are still weaker compared to conventionally manufactured products. Numerous studies and research have already been carried out to improve the mechanical properties of FDM printed parts. Reinforce polymer matrix with fiber is one of the possible solutions. Furthermore, reinforcement can enhance the thermal and electrical properties of FDM printed parts. Various types of fibers and manufacturing methods can be adopted to reinforce the polymer matrix for different desired outcomes. This review emphasizes the fiber types and fiber insertion techniques of FDM 3D printed fiber reinforcement polymer composites. A brief overview of fused deposition modelling, polymer sintering and voids formation during FDM printing is provided, followed by the basis of fiber reinforced polymer composites, type of fibers (synthetic fibers vs. natural fibers, continuous vs. discontinuous fiber) and the composites' performance. In addition, three different manufacturing methods of fiber reinforced thermoplastics based on the timing and location of embedding the fibers, namely 'embedding before the printing process (M1)', 'embedding in the nozzle (M2)', and 'embedding on the component (M3)', are also briefly reviewed. The performance of the composites produced by three different methods were then discussed.
