Tribological characteristics of digital light processing (DLP) 3D printed graphene/resin composite: Influence of graphene presence and process settings

Abstract

The manufacturing process has been drastically influenced by the advent of three-dimensional (3D) printing as it enables complicated structures to be designed using customized features that traditional processing methods cannot handle. Simultaneously, graphene is increasingly being considered as a reinforcement material to be used for metals and polymers because of its exceptional properties. Although several studies have examined the additively manufactured graphene/polymer composite parts’ mechanical properties, few have explored how graphene affects the 3D printed polymers’ tribological properties considering friction and wear. Thus, the present study aims to examine the tribological behavior concerning 3D printed graphene/resin composite. For this, the digital light processing (DLP) technique is used. Graphene’s impact and the variation in the printing process parameters were assessed by considering aspects such as the surface roughness, microstructure, wear, friction, and hardness characteristics of the tested materials. According to the results, a considerable decrease was observed in the friction coefficient of graphene specimens (0.5 wt%) as it reduced by approximately 50% compared with pure resin material. The present study is unique as the quantity of added graphene (up to 2 wt%) was substantially more than what has typically been used in other studies concerning photopolymerization printing capability.