Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an efficient and sustainable technology useful in various manufacturing fields. The aim of this study was to investigate the applicability of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as a 3D printing material and the conditions related to the use of TPU as personal protective equipment. The tensile strength, shock absorption, and compressibility were evaluated for different infill and thickness conditions. An increase in the infill rate led to an increase in the tensile strength, regardless of the sample thickness. Similarly, the compression energy increased as the infill increased. Both the shock absorption and compression properties increased as the thickness decreased under identical infill conditions. The actual shock absorption test data were compared to the results of structural analyses, which confirmed the potential for predicting impact deformation through the analysis of the tensile characteristics and the basic properties of a 3D printed material.
Highlights
Advances in Materials Science and Engineering lattice structure or a hexagonal array demonstrated that the wider range of compression energies exhibited a higher efficiency, and a greater magnitude of efficiency peaks was observed at the higher density layers [9,10,11]
Fabrics are woven from fibers, whose strength of a fiber is defined as the force or tensile strength in the longitudinal direction divided by the fiber thickness
Its strength is proportional to the infill rate during printing, regardless of the sample thickness, making the infill rate an important factor in determining the strength of the resultant material
Summary
Advances in Materials Science and Engineering lattice structure or a hexagonal array demonstrated that the wider range of compression energies exhibited a higher efficiency, and a greater magnitude of efficiency peaks was observed at the higher density layers [9,10,11]. Erefore, it displays high flexibility, elasticity, and shock resistance, like rubber, as well as thermoplasticity It has excellent abrasion and tear resistance as well as high hardness [15,16,17]. We combined the rapid advance of 3D printing and TPU and confirmed their applicability for the production of hard shell personal protective equipment. Erefore, substituting the hard shell with TPU, which is flexible and can protect from shock, is expected to create greater adherence and comfort during movement. E ultimate purpose of this study was to investigate TPU’s applicability for personal protective equipment and the optimal conditions to make it using 3D printing technology. TPU can be obtained in the market and, was chosen for this study to enable an expert but anyone to create prototypes or customize personal protective equipment through 3D printing. We tested prototype models on the human body (knee and crotch protectors) with different thickness and infill conditions, to confirm their applicability to actual use
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