Abstract
Additive manufacturing technologies are shifting from rapid prototyping technologies to end use or final parts production. Polymeric material extrusion processes have been broadly addressed with a specific definition of all parameters and variables for all different of technologies approaches and materials. Recycled polymeric materials have been studied due to the growing importance of the environmental awareness of the contemporary society. Beside this, little specific research has been found in product development applications for AM where the printed parts are in highly moisture environments or surrounded by water, but polymers have been for long used in such industries with conventional manufacturing approaches. This work focuses on the analysis and comparison of two different additively manufactured polymers printed by fused filament fabrication (FFF) processes using desktop-size printers to be applied for product design. The polymers used have been a recycled material: polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) and polylactic acid (PLA). Degradation and water absorption behaviors of both materials are presented, analyzed and discussed in this paper, where different samples have been immersed in saturated solutions of water with maritime salt and sugar together with a control sample immersed in distilled water. The samples have been dimensionally and weight-controlled weekly as well as microscopically analyzed to understand degradation and absorption processes that appear in the fully saturated solutions. The results revealed how the absorption process is stabilized after a reduced number of weeks for both materials and how the degradation process is more remarked in the PLA material due to its organic nature.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are increasing their visibility in the industrial scene, shifting from prototyping tools to the production of final parts or tools
The results revealed that the main absorption of the tested specimens in the samples of both materials happened during the first three or four days
This absorption occurred in higher rates in specimens printed with fused filament fabrication (FFF) technologies than the ones produced with different industrial processes
Summary
Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are increasing their visibility in the industrial scene, shifting from prototyping tools to the production of final parts or tools. This is due to the improved reliability of the processes as well as improvements and development in the materials field. AM field is experiencing an exponential growth that implies the development of new technologies together with new successful cases and applications These technologies are based in the construction of almost any kind of geometrical shapes with a layer-by-layer approach that permits the construction of specific parts or custom-made tools with great reductions of times and cost-savings [2]. It can be understood that its use is recommendable for certain parts or products with specific needs, referring to complex shapes and custom demands cohabitating AM technologies with other existing subtractive technologies
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