Gonzalez-Gutierrez J., Spoerk M., Holzer C.
Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), LU
Keywords: additive manufacturing, composite, extrusion, filament, polypropylene
Material extrusion additive manufacturing, also known as fused deposition modeling (FDMTM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF), is one of the simplest and most economical additive manufacturing technologies. The feedstocks used in FFF are filaments, and numerous thermoplastic filaments are commercially available. However, polypropylene (PP) was only recently added to the list, due to some difficulties encountered during FFF. Polypropylene is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic, which undergoes a drastic volume contraction when cooling down from the printing temperature; this contraction can lead to detachment from the build platform and warpage of the printed specimen. To prevent detachment from the build platform, appropriate surfaces and processing conditions are needed. On the other hand, to prevent warpage, the reduction of the crystallinity and the preparation of blends, copolymers, or particulate composites can be used.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: TechConnect Briefs 2021
Published: October 18, 2021
Pages: 89 - 92
Industry sector: Advanced Materials & Manufacturing
Topics: Advanced Materials for Engineering Applications, Materials Characterization & Imaging
ISBN: 978-0-578-99550-2