Controllable interfacial adhesion behaviors of polymer-on-polymer surfaces during fused deposition modeling 3D printing process

Abstract

The controllable interfacial adhesion behaviors of polymer-on-polymer surfaces during fused deposition modeling (FDM) three-dimensional (3D) printing process were examined by combining the experimental tests and self-consistent field theory (SCFT) to further get insight into the interfacial bonding behaviors between currently- and previously-deposited layers. The results show that the interfacial bonding strength can be availably tailored by the filling density and cooling rate. An unusual and interesting phenomenon was also observed that the interfacial bonding strength firstly increases to an optimal value and then decreases as the filling density increases. Both the experimental observations and SCFT calculations revealed that the better strength of interfacial adhesion is mainly attributed to the larger width of wetted interface and degree of inter-molecular diffusion between two adjacent layers. The critical mechanism behind the controllable interfacial adhesion strength of polymer-on-polymer surfaces were precisely clarified. The present work may provide useful information for preparing lightweight FDM parts with high performance and a general understanding of the interfacial bonding behaviors of polymer-on-polymer surfaces.