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Title Characterization of 3D Printed Polylactic Acid by Fused Granular Fabrication through Printing Accuracy, Porosity, Thermal and Mechanical Analyses
ID_Doc 29620
Authors Fontana, L; Giubilini, A; Arrigo, R; Malucelli, G; Minetola, P
Title Characterization of 3D Printed Polylactic Acid by Fused Granular Fabrication through Printing Accuracy, Porosity, Thermal and Mechanical Analyses
Year 2022
Published Polymers, 14.0, 17
DOI 10.3390/polym14173530
Abstract Fused Granular Fabrication (FGF) or screw-extrusion based 3D printing for polymers is a less diffused alternative to filament-based Additive Manufacturing (AM). Its greatest advantage lies in superior sustainability; in fact, polymer granules can be used to directly feed an FGF printer, reducing the time, cost and energy of producing a part. Moreover, with this technology, a circular economy approach involving the use of pellets made from plastic waste can be easily implemented. Polylactic Acid (PLA) pellets were processed at different printing speeds and with different infill percentages on a customized version of a commercial Prusa i3 Plus 3D printer modified with a Mahor screw extruder. For the characterization of the 3D printed samples, rheological, thermal, mechanical and porosity analyses were carried out. In addition, the energy consumption of the 3D printer was monitored during the production of the specimens. The results showed that a higher printing speed leads to lower energy consumption, without compromising material strength, whereas a slower printing speed is preferable to increase material stiffness.
Author Keywords 3D printing; Fused Granular Fabrication; PLA; pellets; sustainable manufacturing
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:000851986200001
WoS Category Polymer Science
Research Area Polymer Science
PDF https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/17/3530/pdf?version=1662453564
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