Abstract
Fused deposition modeling possesses great advantages in fabricating high performance composites with controllable structural designs. As such, it has attracted attention from medical, automatic, and aerospace fields. In this paper, the influence of short carbon fibers (SCFs) and the orthogonal building orientation on the flexural properties of printed polyether ether ketone (PEEK) composites are systematically studied. The results show that the addition of SCFs raises the uniform nucleation process of PEEK during 3D printing, decreases the layer-to-layer bonding strength, and greatly changes the fracture mode. The flexural strength of vertically printed PEEK and its CF-reinforced composites show strengths that are as high as molded composites. X-ray micro-computed tomography reveals the microstructure of the printed composites and the transformation of pores during bending tests, which provides evidence for the good mechanical properties of the vertically printed composites. The effect of multi-scale factors on the mechanical properties of the composites, such as crystallization in different positions, layer-by-layer bonding, and porosity, provide a successful interpretation of their fracture modes. This work provides a promising and cost-effective method to fabricate 3D printed composites with tailored, orientation-dependent properties.
Highlights
Three-dimensional printing technology provides a promising technique for small-batch fabrication of highly customized objects that have a required performance that exceeds far beyond those of conventional manufacturing methods
This study focuses on the following: (1) to develop a combined fused deposition modeling (FDM) strategy that is based on the addition of carbon fiber (CF) into polyether ether ketone (PEEK)
PEEK and CF/PEEK composite filaments were extruded by a Thermo ScientificTM HAAKETM
Summary
Three-dimensional printing technology provides a promising technique for small-batch fabrication of highly customized objects that have a required performance that exceeds far beyond those of conventional manufacturing methods Such technology has enabled the creation of composites that possess widespread applications in medical, automotive, and aerospace fields [1,2,3,4,5]. The rapid crystallization behavior of printed PEEK parts causes thermal stresses and unstable mechanical properties, resulting in the high probability of printing process failures. Several possible approaches, such as the addition of reinforced materials [11,12], optimizing printing parameters [13,14], and preheating [15,16], have been studied to improve the Polymers 2019, 11, 656; doi:10.3390/polym11040656 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers
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