Abstract
<abstract> In recent years, with the recent advancements in the field of additive manufacturing, the use of biobased thermoplastic polymers and their natural fiber-reinforced biocomposite filaments have been rapidly emerging. Compared to their oil-based counterparts, they provide several advantages with their low carbon footprints, ease of reusability and recyclability and abundancy, and comparable price ranges. In consideration of their increasing usage, the present study focused on the development and analysis of biocomposite material blends and filaments by merging state-of-the-art manufacturing and material technologies. A thorough suitability study for fused deposition modeling (FDM), which is used to manufacture samples by depositing the melt layer-by-layer, was carried out. The mechanical, thermal, and microstructural characterization of birch fiber reinforced PLA composite granules, in-house extruded filaments, and printed specimens were investigated. The results demonstrated the printability of biocomposite filaments. However, it was also concluded that the parameters still need to be optimized for generic and flawless filament extrusion and printing processes. Thus, minimal labor and end-products with better strength and resolutions can be achieved. </abstract>
Highlights
The development of synthetic composites has allowed researchers to design lightweight yet durable and robust structures, which are nowadays used widely in transportation, construction, biomedicine, and packaging industries [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The results demonstrated the printability of biocomposite filaments
Based on the investigations and presented results for filament fabrication and 3D printing based on fused deposition modeling (FDM), the desktop filament maker in use was obtained to be not working as efficiently as expected
Summary
The development of synthetic composites has allowed researchers to design lightweight yet durable and robust structures, which are nowadays used widely in transportation, construction, biomedicine, and packaging industries [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Surface hydroxyl-groups in cellulose and natural fibers have been targeted as chemical modification substrate, polymer grafting of cellulose have been prepared, and physical treatments have been carried out in order to overcome the compatibility issues [11,12,13]. These approaches have aimed at enhancing the matrix-reinforcement interfacial adhesion, which is essential for successful stress transfer from matrix to reinforcement phase [14,15,16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
