Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most promising biopolymers often used as a raw material in 3D printing in many industrial areas. It has good mechanical properties, is characterized by high strength and stiffness, but unfortunately, it has some disadvantages; one is brittleness, and the other is slow crystallization. Amounts of 1–5% SEBS (styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene) thermoplastic elastomer were blended into the PLA and the thermal and mechanical properties were investigated. DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry) measurements on the filaments have shown that SEBS increases the initial temperature of crystallization, thereby acting as a nucleating agent. The cooling rate of 3D printing, on the other hand, is too fast for PLA, so printed specimens behave almost amorphously. The presence of SEBS increases the impact strength, neck formation appears during the tensile test, and in the bending test, the mixture either suffers partial fracture or only bends without fracture. Samples containing 1% SEBS were selected for further analysis, mixed with 0.06 and 0.1% carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and tested for thermal and mechanical properties. As a result of CNTs, another peak appeared on the DSC curve in addition to the original single-peak crystallization, and the specimens previously completely broken in the mechanical tests suffered partial fractures, and the partially fractured pieces almost completely regained their original shape at the end of the test.

Highlights

  • Rapid prototyping, or as it is increasingly referred to today, 3D printing, has changed the product design process

  • From 1 to 5% SEBS thermoplastic elastomer was mixed to Polylactic acid (PLA), and the printed

  • From 1 to 5% SEBS thermoplastic elastomer was mixed to PLA, and the printed specimens were subjected to thermal, mechanical, and optical observations

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Summary

Introduction

As it is increasingly referred to today, 3D printing, has changed the product design process. There are several types of 3D printing processes, of which FDM Modelling) technology is one of the simplest and most cost-effective. Thanks to these advantages, it is widespread, and even smaller companies can afford it, so the range of suppliers can expand. In the FDM process, the coiled thermoplastic fiber is pushed into the heated print head by a pair of rollers, where it melts. At the end of the print head, there is a small cross-section nozzle; the molten fiber exits this and it is placed on the print-table in the direction specified by the software. After one layer is completed, for some printer types, the print table sinks by one layer and printing of the layer begins; for other printer types, the nozzle is moved in the Z direction and the table does not move [1,2]

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