Abstract
A 3D printer in FDM technology allows printing with two nozzles, which creates an opportunity to produce multi-material elements. Printing from two materials requires special consideration of the interface zone generated between their geometrical boundaries. This article aims to present the possibility of printing with PLA and TPU using commercially available filaments and software to obtain the best possible bond strength between two different polymers with respect to printing parameters, surface pattern (due to the material contact surface’s roughness), and the order of layer application. The interaction at the interface of two surfaces of two different filaments (PLA-TPU and TPU-PLA) and six combinations of patterns were tested by printing seven replicas for each. A total of 12 combinations were obtained. By analyzing pairs of samples (the same patterns, different order of materials), the results for the TPU/PLA samples were better or very close to the results for PLA/TPU. The best variants of pattern combinations were distinguished. Well-chosen printing parameters can prevent a drop in parts efficiency compared to component materials (depending on the materials combination).
Highlights
Rapid prototyping is a promising method that can support the efficient production of models and prototypes [1,2,3]
Fused deposition modelling (FDM), known as fused filament fabrication (FFF), is an Additive manufacturing (AM) process based on extrusion, where material as a filament is melted and selectively dispensed through a fine nozzle layer upon layer according to the slice model [8,9,10,11,12,13,14]
The results demonstrate that the printing order and surface pattern, due to the roughness of the material contact surface, influences the adhesion strength
Summary
Rapid prototyping is a promising method that can support the efficient production of models and prototypes [1,2,3]. Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies allow components with adjustable geometry and mechanical properties [4,5,6] that can be used in a wide variety of industry sectors to be obtained [7]. FDM technology assumes the use of thermoplastic materials for printing. Polylactic acid (PLA) material is a biodegradable material with a low shrinkage rate and good stability when printing large-size models [9,15,16,17]. Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is one of the most versatile engineering thermoplastics materials with elastomeric properties [18,19,20,21]. TPU is an elastic elastomer with high performance and current consumption level and can provide a range of combinations of physical properties that can be adapted to many uses [23]
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