Sustainable metal-infused polymer feedstock compatible with low-cost metal sinter-based 3D printing

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has been employed to fabricate metallic parts; however, prevalent techniques are expensive and energy consuming. Therefore, fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique has grabbed the attention of researchers and industries. Despite the promising results, available materials for metal FDM 3D printing are very limited. The current study presents the development of a novel metal-infused polymeric feedstock for FDM 3D printing, consists of spiky-shaped recycled nickel powders and polylactic-acid (PLA) polymer matrix. A low-cost desktop 3D printer is employed to produce green parts; subsequently, debinding/sintering processes can be conducted to achieve a fully metallic part. The low-cost recycled nickel powder that has been used in this study is produced using the low-carbon footprint Mond process, with a significant application in production and recycling of nickel- and iron-based batteries. Furthermore, PLA is chosen because it is bio-based and biodegradable with a lower carbon footprint in the carbon cycle than fossil-fuel-derived polymers. Therefore, the whole process is an ecofriendly cycle, stepping toward the sustainable and affordable production of metallic components. Regarding development of a novel feedstock material compatible with 3D printing, it is important to understand its properties. So, the developed feedstock materials were rheologically and physico-mechanically analyzed to find the optimum filler concentration.