Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Structure formation and thermal conduction in polymer-based composites obtained by fused filament fabrication

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is widely used to obtain polymer-based composites with improved mechanical and thermal conduction properties. The effective properties of the composites are sensitive to their structure including the shape, distribution, and orientation of inclusions in the matrix and FFF-specific defects. The present work aims to study the formation of composite structure and relate it to the measured effective thermal conduction properties. Polymer flow in the hot end and the structure of printed samples are studied by metallography. The effective thermal diffusivity is measured by the laser flash method and analyzed by the Maxwell Garnett theory. Fibers in a polymer-matrix composite visualize polymer flow in the hot end of the FFF printer. In the nozzle, fibers are generally oriented parallel to the flow direction while gas bubbles may locally disturb flow and disorient fibers. Printed composite carbon fiber/TPU inherits the preferential orientation of fibers observed in the filament. Disorientation of fibers relative to the alignment direction increases after printing. In the printed Al2O3/PA composite, there is a lattice of triangle-based cylindrical pores parallel to the extrusion direction. Al2O3 particles are of irregular shape and approximately equiaxed. No segregation or agglomeration is observed. Significant anisotropy of thermal diffusivity is observed in the printed samples of 5%vol. carbon fiber/TPU composite. The measured effective thermal diffusivity of printed Al2O3/PA composites is essentially isotropic and significantly increases with the volume fraction of inclusions. In the studied FFF-printed composites, the effective thermal diffusivity is proportional to the thermal diffusivity of the polymer matrix, which is sensitive to its structure formed in non-equilibrium conditions of rapid quenching from the liquid phase.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A :

Subexpression

a :

Aspect ratio

e :

Subexpression

f :

Volume fraction

h :

Layer height

n :

Principal value of the depolarization tensor

r :

Ellipsoid semi-axis

T :

Temperature

t :

Time

α :

Thermal diffusivity

h :

Hot end

i :

Inclusion

m :

Matrix phase

γ :

Index

⊥:

Perpendicular

||:

Parallel

References

  1. Kumar S, Singh R, Singh TP, Batish A (2023) Fused filament fabrication: a comprehensive review. J Thermoplast Compos Mater 36(2):794–814. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892705720970629

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Dey A, Eagle INR, Yodo N (2021) A review on filament materials for fused filament fabrication. J Manuf Mater Process 5(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/jmmp5030069

  3. Fallon JJ, McKnight SH, Bortner MJ (2019) Highly loaded fiber filled polymers for material extrusion: a review of current understanding. AdditManuf 30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2019.100810

  4. Athale M, Park T, Hahnlen R, Pourboghrat F (2022) Experimental characterization and finite element simulation of FDM 3D printed polymer composite tooling for sheet metal stamping. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 121:6973–6989. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-09801-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rivero-Romero O, Barrera-Fajardo I, Unfried-Silgado J (2023) Effects of printing parameters on fiber eccentricity and porosity level in a thermoplastic matrix composite reinforced with continuous banana fiber fabricated by FFF with in situ impregnation. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 125:1893–1901. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-10799-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Shirinbayan M, Benfriha K, Tcharkhtchi A (2022) Geometric accuracy and mechanical behavior of PA6 composite curved tubes fabricated by fused filament fabrication (FFF). Adv Eng Mater 24(7). https://doi.org/10.1002/adem.202101056

  7. Boparai K, Singh R, Singh H (2015) Comparison of tribological behaviour for Nylon6-al-Al2O3 and ABS parts fabricated by fused deposition modelling: This paper reports a low cost composite material that is more wear-resistant than conventional ABS. Virtual Phys Prototyp 10(2):59–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/17452759.2015.1037402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Kottasamy A, Samykano M, Kadirgama K, Rahman M, Mat Noor M (2022) Experimental investigation and prediction model for mechanical properties of copper-reinforced polylactic acid composites (Cu-PLA) using FDM-based 3D printing technique. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 119:5211–5232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-08289-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Camargo JC, Machado AR, Almeida EC, de Almeida VHM (2022) Mechanical and electrical behavior of ABS polymer reinforced with graphene manufactured by the FDM process. Int J Adv Manuf Technol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-08288-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Mader M, Hambitzer L, Schlautmann P, Jenne S, Greiner C, Hirth F, . . . Rapp BE (2021) Melt-extrusion-based additive manufacturing of transparent fused silica glass. Adv Sci 8(23). https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202103180

  11. Vozárová M, Neubauer E, Bača Ľ, Kitzmantel M, Feranc J, Trembošová V, . . . Matejdes M (2023) Preparation of fully dense boron carbide ceramics by fused filament fabrication (FFF). J European Ceram Soc 43(5):1751–1761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2022.12.018

  12. Pellegrini A, Palmieri ME, Guerra MG (2022) Evaluation of anisotropic mechanical behaviour of 316L parts realized by metal fused filament fabrication using digital image correlation. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 120(11–12):7951–7965. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-09303-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Hamzah HH, Shafiee SA, Abdalla A, Patel BA (2018) 3D printable conductive materials for the fabrication of electrochemical sensors: a mini review. Electrochem Commun 96:27–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elecom.2018.09.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Hamzah HH, Keattch O, Covill D, Patel BA (2018) The effects of printing orientation on the electrochemical behaviour of 3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/carbon black electrodes. Sci Rep 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-27188-5

  15. Wang S, Chen M, Cao K (2022) Polymer composite with enhanced thermal conductivity and insulation properties through aligned Al2O3 fiber. Polymers 14(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14122374

  16. Cai Z, Thirunavukkarasu N, Diao X, Wang H, Wu L, Zhang C, Wang J (2022) Progress of polymer-based thermally conductive materials by fused filament fabrication: a comprehensive review. Polymers 14(20). https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14204297

  17. Almuallim B, Harun WSW, Al Rikabi IJ, Mohammed HA (2022) Thermally conductive polymer nanocomposites for filament-based additive manufacturing. J Mater Sci 57(6):3993–4019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-021-06820-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Chen J, Huang X, Sun B, Jiang P (2019) Highly thermally conductive yet electrically insulating polymer/boron nitride nanosheets nanocomposite films for improved thermal management capability. ACS Nano 13(1):337–345. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b06290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Shaqour B, Abuabiah M, Abdel-Fattah S, Juaidi A, Abdallah R, Abuzaina W, . . . Cos P (2021) Gaining a better understanding of the extrusion process in fused filament fabrication 3D printing: a review. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 114(5–6):1279–1291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-06918-6

  20. Mostafa N, Syed HM, Igor S, Andrew G (2009) A study of melt flow analysis of an ABS-iron composite in fused deposition modelling process. Tsinghua Sci Technol 14(SUPPL. 1):29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1007-0214(09)70063-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Shadvar N, Foroozmehr E, Badrossamay M, Amouhadi I, Dindarloo AS (2021) Computational analysis of the extrusion process of fused deposition modeling of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene. IntJ Mater Form 14(1):121–131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12289-019-01523-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Mishra AA, Momin A, Strano M, Rane K (2022) Implementation of viscosity and density models for improved numerical analysis of melt flow dynamics in the nozzle during extrusion-based additive manufacturing. Prog Addit Manuf 7(1):41–54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40964-021-00208-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Ufodike CO, Nzebuka GC (2022) Investigation of thermal evolution and fluid flow in the hot-end of a material extrusion 3D printer using melting model. Addit Manuf 49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2021.102502

  24. Chen H, Ginzburg VV, Yang J, Yang Y, Liu W, Huang Y, . . . Chen B (2016) Thermal conductivity of polymer-based composites: fundamentals and applications. Prog Polym Sci 59:41–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2016.03.001

  25. Phan DD, Swain ZR, MacKay ME (2018) Rheological and heat transfer effects in fused filament fabrication. J Rheol 62(5):1097–1107. https://doi.org/10.1122/1.5022982

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Filamentarno (07.10.2023) https://filamentarno.ru/id=65

  27. Smirnov A, Seleznev A, Peretyagin P, Bentseva E, Pristinskiy Y, Kuznetsova E, Grigoriev S (2022) Rheological characterization and printability of polylactide (PLA)-alumina (Al2O3) filaments for fused deposition modeling (FDM). Materials 15(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15238399

  28. Bottger PHM, Gusarov AV, Shklover V, Patscheider J, Sobiech M (2014) Anisotropic layered media with microinclusions: thermal properties of arc-evaporation multilayer metal nitrides. Int J Thermal Sci 77:75–83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2013.10.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Inamdar TC, Wang X, Christov IC (2020) Unsteady fluid-structure interactions in a soft-walled microchannel: a one-dimensional lubrication model for finite Reynolds number. Phys Rev Fluids 5(6). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevFluids.5.064101

  30. Howard CV, Reed MG. Unbiased Stereology (2005). 2nd ed. Garland Science/BIOS Scientific New York, ISBN: 978–1859960899

  31. Pinedo B, Hadfield M, Tzanakis I, Conte M, Anand M (2018) Thermal analysis and tribological investigation on TPU and NBR elastomers applied to sealing applications. Tribol Int 127:24–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2018.05.032

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Huang X (2009) Fabrication and properties of carbon fibers. Materials 2(4):2369–2403. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma2042369

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Null MR, Lozier WW, Moore AW (1973) Thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity of pyrolytic graphite from 300 to 2700° K. Carbon 11(2):81–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/0008-6223(73)90058-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ogawa M, Mukai K, Fukui T, Baba T (2001) The development of a thermal diffusivity reference material using alumina. Meas Sci Technol 12(12):2058–2063. https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-0233/12/12/305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Dos Santos WN, Mummery P, Wallwork A (2005) Thermal diffusivity of polymers by the laser flash technique. Polym Testing 24(5):628–634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymertesting.2005.03.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Torquato S (2002) Random Heterogeneous Materials, Springer. ISBN: 978–1–4757–6355–3

  37. Zhang R, Jariyavidyanont K, Du M, Zhuravlev E, Schick C, Androsch R (2022) Nucleation and crystallization kinetics of polyamide 12 investigated by fast scanning calorimetry. J Polym Sci 60(5):842–855. https://doi.org/10.1002/pol.20210813

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Kittel C (2005) Introduction to Solid State Physics. 8th Edition, Wiley. ISBN: 978–0–471–68057–4

  39. Cahill DG, Watson SK, Pohl RO (1992) Lower limit to the thermal conductivity of disordered crystals. Phys Rev B 46(10):6131–6140. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.46.6131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Salameh B, Yasin S, Fara DA, Zihlif AM (2021) Dependence of the thermal conductivity of PMMA, PS and PE on temperature and crystallinity. Polymer (Korea) 45(2):281–285. https://doi.org/10.7317/pk.2021.45.2.281

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The experiments were carried out using the equipment of the Centre of collective use of MSUT “STANKIN” (project No. 075-15-2021-695).

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation under project 0707–2020-0034.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of 3D Structural and Functional Engineering, Moscow State University of Technology STANKIN, Vadkovsky Per. 1, Moscow, 127055, Russia

    Anton Smirnov, Nestor Washington Solis Pinargote, Nikolai Babushkin, Mikhail Gridnev & Ekaterina Kuznetsova

  2. Laboratory of Innovative Additive Technologies, Moscow State University of Technology STANKIN, Vadkovsky Per. 3a, 127055, Moscow, Russia

    Roman Khmyrov & Andrey Gusarov

Authors
  1. Anton Smirnov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nestor Washington Solis Pinargote
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Roman Khmyrov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nikolai Babushkin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Mikhail Gridnev
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Ekaterina Kuznetsova
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Andrey Gusarov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Conceptualization: AG, AS. Investigation: EK, MG, NB, NWSP, RK. Supervision: AS. Writing—original draft: AG, RK. Writing—review and editing: AG, AS.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrey Gusarov.

Ethics declarations

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent to publication

Not applicable.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Smirnov, A., Pinargote, N.W.S., Khmyrov, R. et al. Structure formation and thermal conduction in polymer-based composites obtained by fused filament fabrication. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 129, 2677–2690 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12432-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-023-12432-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation