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Special Issue "Advances in Polymeric Additive Manufacturing"

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A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Physics and Theory".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2023 | Viewed by 6858

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Luca Quagliato

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Guest Editor

Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Interests: multimaterial forming; thermoplastic polymers; metal forging and forming; machine learning; additive manufacturing; biomedical devices; unfilled thermoset polymers

Dr. Kai Jin

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Guest Editor

College of Material Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
Interests: fiber reinforced composites; marine biomaterial; multiscale simulation; structural mechanics
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Polymeric additive manufacturing (AM) has become a research topic in which an ever-growing number of scientists and researchers are investing a considerable amount of time and effort aiming to improve and advance both basic knowledge and application capabilities. Thanks to the high degree of freedom granted by processes such as SLA, in terms of designable geometry and employable materials, its applications are vast and interdisciplinary.

However, polymeric materials are intrinsically influenced by the processing environment and the curing conditions, a fact which results in variabilities of the mechanical response and fracture behavior. Understanding the influence between process conditions and the mechanical response of the designed component is essential to bring polymeric AM to the next step in its technological evolution, for a wide and reliable technology transfer to industry.

Hence, this Special Issue aims to enhance our understanding of the influences among materials, processes, and part design for additively manufactured components, especially in terms of their influence on final mechanical performances, such as elastic properties, strength, failure, and fatigue behavior. Contributions dealing with polymers, short fiber-reinforced polymers, long fiber-reinforced polymers, metal composite multi-materials, and biomedical materials-based additive manufacturing are welcome. Both experimental and numerical contributions are invited. Case studies on additive manufacturing applications are also welcome if a clear scientific connection among design, process, and product is established.

Prof. Dr. Luca Quagliato
Prof. Dr. Kai Jin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

addictive manufacturing
unfilled thermoset polymers
reinforced plastic additive manufacturing
continuous fiber additive manufacturing
deposition strategy
curing conditions
anisotropy
shape design procedures
topology optimization

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 7192 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Material Extrusion 3D Printing of PEEK-Based Composites

Thomas Hanemann

Alexander Klein

Siegfried Baumgärtner

Judith Jung

David Wilhelm

and

Steffen Antusch

Polymers 2023, 15(16), 3412; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15163412 - 15 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 829

Abstract

High-performance thermoplastics like polyetheretherketone (PEEK), with their outstanding thermal stability, mechanical properties and chemical stability, have great potential for various structural applications. Combining with additive manufacturing methods extends further PEEK usage, e.g., as a mold insert material in polymer melt processing like injection molding. Mold inserts must possess a certain mechanical stability, a low surface roughness as well as a good thermal conductivity for the temperature control during the molding process. With this in mind, the commercially available high-performance thermoplastic PEEK was doped with small amounts of carbon nanotubes (CNT, 6 wt%) and copper particles (10 wt%) targeting enhanced thermomechanical properties and a higher thermal conductivity. The composites were realized by a commercial combined compounder and filament maker for the usage in a material extrusion (MEX)-based 3D-printer following the fused filament fabrication (FFF) principle. Commercial filaments made from PEEK and carbon fiber reinforced PEEK were used as reference systems. The impact of the filler and the MEX printing conditions like printing temperature, printing speed and infill orientation on the PEEK properties were characterized comprehensively by tensile testing, fracture imaging and surface roughness measurements. In addition, the thermal conductivity was determined by the laser-flash method in combination with differential scanning calorimetry and Archimedes density measurement. The addition of fillers did not alter the measured tensile strength in comparison to pure PEEK significantly. The fracture images showed a good printing quality without the MEX-typical voids between and within the deposited layers. Higher printing temperatures caused a reduction of the surface roughness and, in some cases, an enhanced ductile behavior. The thermal conductivity could be increased by the addition of the CNTs. Following the given results, the most critical process step is the compounding procedure, because for a reliable process–parameter–property relationship, a homogeneous particle distribution in the polymer matrix yielding a reliable filament quality is essential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Additive Manufacturing)

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17 pages, 1508 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Solid Rocket Propellant Photo-Polymerization with an In-House LED-UV Prototype

and

Polymers 2023, 15(7), 1633; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15071633 - 24 Mar 2023

Viewed by 1700

Abstract

Composite solid propellants have used cast molding production technology for many decades, with intrinsic limitations on production flexibility, promptness, and grain geometry, as well as environmental implications on toxicity and global carbon footprint. This traditional method involves the use of toxic chemicals, has a long processing time, requires high temperature, and the products have limited geometries. To overcome those issues, different photo-curable resins have been evaluated as possible matrices. In fact, the UV-curing process is fast and has low energy consumption. The photocuring reaction parameters of six different pristine formulations were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. After finding the optimal curing parameters, different composites were prepared by adding 75 or 80 wt% ammonium sulfate particles used as an inert replacement for the oxidant. The thermomechanical properties and thermal resistance of the UV-cured composites were characterized via dynamic thermal-mechanical and thermogravimetric analysis. Subsequently, the mechanical properties of the inert propellants were investigated by tensile tests. The most promising resin systems for the production of solid rocket propellants were then 3D printed by an in-house developed illumination system and the obtained object micro-structure was evaluated by X-ray computed tomography. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Additive Manufacturing)

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17 pages, 3207 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Bisphenol-A-Glycidyl-Methacrylate- and Trimethylolpropane-Triacrylate-Based Stereolithography 3D Printing Materials

and

Polymers 2022, 14(23), 5198; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14235198 - 29 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1580

Abstract

The main advantages of the three-dimensional (3D) printing process are flexible design, rapid prototyping, multi-component structures, and minimal waste. For stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, common photocurable polymers, such as bisphenol-A glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-EMA), trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTMA), as well as urethane oligomers, have been widely used. For a successful 3D printing process, these photocurable polymers must satisfy several requirements, including transparency, a low viscosity, good mechanical strength, and low shrinkage post-ultraviolet curing process. Herein, we investigated SLA-type photocurable resins prepared using Bis-EMA, TMPTMA, and urethane oligomers. The flexural strength, hardness, conversion rate, output resolution, water absorption, and solubility of the printed materials were investigated. The degree of conversion of the printed specimens measured by infrared spectroscopy ranged from 30 to 60%. We also observed that 64–80 MPa of the flexural strength, 40–60 HV of the surface hardness, 15.6–29.1 MPa of the compression strength, and 3.3–14.5 MPa of the tensile strength. The output resolution was tested using three different structures comprising a series of columns (5–50 mm), circles (0.6–6 mm), and lines (0.2–5 mm). In addition, we used five different pigments to create colored resins and successfully printed complex models of the Eiffel Tower. The research on resins, according to the characteristics of these materials, will help in the design of new materials. These results suggests that acrylate-based resins have the potential for 3D printing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Additive Manufacturing)

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13 pages, 5835 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Validation of the Mechanical Behavior of an Aeronautical Fixing Turret Produced by a Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)

and

Polymers 2022, 14(11), 2177; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14112177 - 27 May 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1499

Abstract

The design of parts in such critical sectors as the manufacturing of aeronautical parts is awaiting a paradigm shift due to the introduction of additive manufacturing technologies. The manufacture of parts designed by means of the design-oriented additive manufacturing methodology (DfAM) has acquired great relevance in recent years. One of the major gaps in the application of these technologies is the lack of studies on the mechanical behavior of parts manufactured using this methodology. This paper focuses on the manufacture of a turret for the clamping of parts for the aeronautical industry. The design of the lightened turret by means of geometry optimization, the manufacture of the turret in polylactic acid (PLA) and 5XXX series aluminum alloy by means of Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology and the analysis by means of finite element analysis (FEA) with its validation by means of a tensile test are presented. The behavior of the part manufactured with both materials is compared. The conclusion allows to establish which are the limitations of the part manufactured in PLA for its orientation to the final application, whose advantages are its lower weight and cost. This paper is novel as it presents a holistic view that covers the process in an integrated way from the design and manufacture to the behaviour of the component in use. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Polymeric Additive Manufacturing)

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