We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing to browse this site you agree to our use of cookies. More info.

In a review recently published in the journal Additive Manufacturing, researchers discussed the additive manufacturing (AM) of the high-density polymer composites reinforced with carbon fiber.

Study: Additive manufacturing of high density carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. Image Credit: William Potter/Shutterstock.com

Utilizing carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRP), lightweight structures with excellent strength and stiffness can be made. Due to its benefits in AM, such as chemical resistance and melt processability, thermoplastics are becoming more and more common.

In both academics and business, fiber-reinforced thermoplastics are of great interest. Currently, AM uses discontinuous or short fibers more frequently than continuous fibers. AM can be processed using sheet lamination, powder bed fusion, material extrusion, stereolithography, and fiber-reinforced polymer composites.

There has been little research on composites despite selective laser sintering (SLS) being one of the fastest-growing AM techniques for metals and polymers, due to the limited improvements in mechanical properties at the expense of increases in component porosity.

The most popular processes for producing fiber-reinforced thermoplastic components are those that rely on material extrusion, including fused filament fabrication (FFF). The limited supply of materials and the substantial amount of porosity in the finished pieces are just two of the numerous difficulties facing the AM of composites. Research demonstrates that by reducing the void content, post-processing FFF printed composites with a hot press can greatly enhance their tensile and flexural properties.

However, it is impractical to apply enough heat and pressure in order to maintain the geometry of FFF components. This method has not yet been used in an independent academic study to create components or investigate how different processing conditions affect the final product's attributes.

In this study, the authors discussed the selective printing of discontinuous carbon fiber sheets with a binder and polymer powder by using a technique called composite fiber additive manufacturing (CFAM), which was then compressed, heated, and post-processed to create net shape components. The findings showed a relationship between the used compaction pressure and the volume percentage of fibers or porosity inside components.

The team demonstrated a novel method for the development of discontinuous carbon fiber reinforced polymer composite parts with 1.5% porosity, 97 MPa tensile strength, 15% fiber volume content, and 8.9 GPa elastic modulus. The prepared carbon fiber reinforced polymer parts had mechanical properties better than those of state-of-the-art AM.

The researchers produced discontinuous CFRP composite parts at the University of Sheffield using CFAM, which was based on a sheet lamination method akin to composite-based additive manufacturing (CBAM). In order to understand the impacts of the amount of printed ink and compaction pressure/duration on the density and qualities of final components, this study aimed to benchmark the performance of composite parts created by CFAM for the first time with mechanical testing and X-ray tomography.

The 223 g/m2 parameter level offered a stronger fiber-matrix adhesion than the 24 g/m2 of ink and a greater carbon fiber volume fraction (FVF) than the 892 g/m2 of ink, which made it the ideal parameter level for the highest tensile strength and stiffness. It was discovered that 41.6, 208.3, and 291.6 grams of powder per m2 could be accommodated by 24, 223, and 892 g/m2 ink, respectively. The maximum elastic modulus, tensile strength, flexural strength, and modulus were provided by the highest amount of pressure of 0.9 MPa. The second important aspect was the areal density of the printed ink. The ink was the best factor at the medium parameter level, 223 g/m2, which had the most production. In this experiment, compaction time was revealed to be the least important variable. It was discovered that Nylon 12 crystallizes between 160 and 165 °C.

The CFAM method was compared to the most advanced discontinuous fiber AM techniques, and it was shown that it had the ability to produce complex discontinuous fiber reinforced polymer composite parts with greater strength, stiffness, and density with 8.9 GPa stiffness, 97 MPa tensile strength, and 1.5% porosity. The final CFAM parts' microstructural and mechanical qualities were affected by the optimization of ink areal density, compaction time, and pressure. The amount of the powder of the polymer adhering to the substrate was significantly influenced by the area of the ink, while the compaction time had the slightest effect.

A low ink concentration was found to enhance the likelihood of interlayer delamination because there was insufficient bonding between the layers. The fiber volume fraction, however, decreased as the volume of ink increased because there was more matrix material present. It was determined that the most important factor that affected the final part's properties in terms of stiffness, strength, and microstructural properties was the use of elevated pressure and temperature, which made it easier for the nylon powder to completely melt between layers and reduce the component's overall porosity.

In conclusion, this study elucidated that the proposed method may also provide the versatility to process a variety of fibers such as glass textiles with varied mesh density and thermoplastic matrix materials such as PEEK powder.

More from AZoM: Reflection Electron Microscopy for Crystal Analysis

Karaş, B., Smith, P. J., Fairclough, J. P. A., et al. Additive manufacturing of high density carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites. Additive Manufacturing 103044 (2022). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214860422004365

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the author expressed in their private capacity and do not necessarily represent the views of AZoM.com Limited T/A AZoNetwork the owner and operator of this website. This disclaimer forms part of the Terms and conditions of use of this website.

Surbhi Jain is a freelance Technical writer based in Delhi, India. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Delhi and has participated in several scientific, cultural, and sports events. Her academic background is in Material Science research with a specialization in the development of optical devices and sensors. She has extensive experience in content writing, editing, experimental data analysis, and project management and has published 7 research papers in Scopus-indexed journals and filed 2 Indian patents based on her research work. She is passionate about reading, writing, research, and technology, and enjoys cooking, acting, gardening, and sports.

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

Jain, Surbhi. (2022, July 20). How Can We Create 3D Printed Carbon Fiber Polymer Composites?. AZoM. Retrieved on July 29, 2022 from https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=59598.

Jain, Surbhi. "How Can We Create 3D Printed Carbon Fiber Polymer Composites?". AZoM. 29 July 2022. <https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=59598>.

Jain, Surbhi. "How Can We Create 3D Printed Carbon Fiber Polymer Composites?". AZoM. https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=59598. (accessed July 29, 2022).

Jain, Surbhi. 2022. How Can We Create 3D Printed Carbon Fiber Polymer Composites?. AZoM, viewed 29 July 2022, https://www.azom.com/news.aspx?newsID=59598.

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

At the Advanced Materials Show 2022, AZoM caught up with the CEO of Cambridge Smart Plastics, Andrew Terentjev. In this interview, we discuss the company's novel technologies and how they could revolutionize how we think about plastics.

At the Advanced Materials Show in June 2022, AZoM spoke with Ben Melrose from International Syalons about the advanced materials market, Industry 4.0, and efforts to move toward net-zero.

At the Advanced Materials Show, AZoM spoke with Vig Sherrill from General Graphene about the future of graphene and how their novel production technique will lower costs to open up a whole new world of applications in the future.

Discover the OTT Parsivel², a laser disdrometer that can be used to measure all precipitation types. It allows users to collect data on the size and speed of falling particles.

Environics offers stand alone permeation systems that can be used for single or multiple disposable permeation tubes.

Grabner Instruments’ MiniFlash FPA Vision Autosampler is a 12-position autosampler. It is an automated accessory designed to be used with the MINIFLASH FP Vision Analyzer.

This article provides an end-of-life assessment of lithium-ion batteries, focusing on the recycling of an ever-growing amount of spent Li-Ion batteries in order to work toward a sustainable and circular approach to battery use and reuse.

Corrosion is the degradation of an alloy caused by its exposure to the environment. Corrosion deterioration of metallic alloys exposed to the atmosphere or other adverse conditions is prevented using a variety of techniques.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for energy, the demand for nuclear fuel has also increased, which has further created a significant increase in the requirement for post-irradiation examination (PIE) techniques.

AZoM.com - An AZoNetwork Site

Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2022