TY - GEN
T1 - Microwave induced welding of carbon nanotube-thermoplastic interfaces for enhanced mechanical strength of 3D printed parts
AU - Sweeney, Charles B.
AU - Green, Micah J.
AU - Saed, Mohammad A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright 2015. Used by the Society of the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering with permission.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Three-dimensional (3D) printed parts produced by fused-filament fabrication of a thermoplastic polymer have become increasingly popular at both the commercial and consumer level. The mechanical integrity of these rapid-prototyped parts however, is severely limited by the interfillament bond strength between adjacent extruded layers. In this report we propose for the first time a method for welding thermoplastic interfaces of 3D printed parts using the extreme heating response of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to microwave energy. To achieve this, we developed a coaxial printer filament with a pure polylactide (PLA) core and a CNT composite sheath. This produces parts with a thin electrically percolating network of CNTs at the interfaces between adjacent extruded layers. These interfaces are then welded together upon microwave irradiation at 2.45GHz. We investigated the dielectric properties of the PLA/CNT composites at microwave frequencies and performed in-situ microwave thermometry using a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera to characterize the heating response of the PLA/CNT composites upon microwave irradiation. Finally, computational models were developed to verify the microwave heating response of the percolating CNT composites according to their measured dielectric properties.
AB - Three-dimensional (3D) printed parts produced by fused-filament fabrication of a thermoplastic polymer have become increasingly popular at both the commercial and consumer level. The mechanical integrity of these rapid-prototyped parts however, is severely limited by the interfillament bond strength between adjacent extruded layers. In this report we propose for the first time a method for welding thermoplastic interfaces of 3D printed parts using the extreme heating response of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to microwave energy. To achieve this, we developed a coaxial printer filament with a pure polylactide (PLA) core and a CNT composite sheath. This produces parts with a thin electrically percolating network of CNTs at the interfaces between adjacent extruded layers. These interfaces are then welded together upon microwave irradiation at 2.45GHz. We investigated the dielectric properties of the PLA/CNT composites at microwave frequencies and performed in-situ microwave thermometry using a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera to characterize the heating response of the PLA/CNT composites upon microwave irradiation. Finally, computational models were developed to verify the microwave heating response of the percolating CNT composites according to their measured dielectric properties.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84987677864&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84987677864
T3 - International SAMPE Technical Conference
BT - SAMPE Baltimore 2015 Conference and Exhibition
PB - Soc. for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering
T2 - SAMPE Baltimore 2015 Conference and Exhibition
Y2 - 18 May 2015 through 21 May 2015
ER -