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Polymers
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Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products
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Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2024) | Viewed by 8766

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mladenko Kajtaz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Additive Manufacturing, School of Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: hybrid materials; lightweight load-bearing structures; design for additive manufacturing; optimisation; simulation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Milan Brandt

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centre for Additive Manufacturing, School of Engineering, RMIT University, GPO Box 2476, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia
Interests: interaction of high-power laser radiation with matter leading to changes in state from heating to melting and applications in additive manufacture; joining and surfacing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the great promises of additive manufacturing was innovations in product design by exploiting its geometry agnosticism and the reduction of constraints previously imposed by manufacturing capabilities. Once employed purely for prototyping, additive manufacturing is now increasingly used in the production of end-use products, either for spare parts, small series production, or tooling. However, there are still challenges to the wider industrialisation of additive manufacturing, such as a lack of a broader selection of printable materials, limited material performance but also a lack of design knowledge, in particular, the familiarity with the technology and the design principles that are best suited to AM’s unique capabilities. Manufacturing scaling also appears to be one of the major challenges. While progress has been made to address this challenge, there are still unknowns and a lack of understanding about the process and material interactions during them that would lead to better part repeatability and process accuracy.

Since manufacturing innovation starts with design innovation, this Special Issue focuses on advances, both in polymer material/process design and product design, that impact and improve additively manufactured end-use products and the industrialisation of additive manufacturing.

Dr. Mladenko Kajtaz
Prof. Dr. Milan Brandt
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

  • additive manufacturing polymers
  • materials
  • design
  • end-use products
  • industrialisation
  • polymer composites

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 5445 KiB  
Article
Effect of Part Size, Displacement Rate, and Aging on Compressive Properties of Elastomeric Parts of Different Unit Cell Topologies Formed by Vat Photopolymerization Additive Manufacturing
by Lindsey B. Bezek, Sushan Nakarmi, Alexander C. Pantea, Jeffery A. Leiding, Nitin P. Daphalapurkar and Kwan-Soo Lee
Polymers 2024, 16(22), 3166; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16223166 - 13 Nov 2024
Viewed by 384
Abstract
Due to its ability to achieve geometric complexity at high resolution and low length scales, additive manufacturing (AM) has increasingly been used for fabricating cellular structures (e.g., foams and lattices) for a variety of applications. Specifically, elastomeric cellular structures offer tunability of compliance [...] Read more.
Due to its ability to achieve geometric complexity at high resolution and low length scales, additive manufacturing (AM) has increasingly been used for fabricating cellular structures (e.g., foams and lattices) for a variety of applications. Specifically, elastomeric cellular structures offer tunability of compliance as well as energy absorption and dissipation characteristics. However, there are limited data available on compression properties for printed elastomeric cellular structures of different designs and testing parameters. In this work, the authors evaluate how unit cell topology, part size, the rate of compression, and aging affect the compressive response of polyurethane-based simple cubic, body-centered, and gyroid structures formed by vat photopolymerization AM. Finite element simulations incorporating hyperelastic and viscoelastic models were used to describe the data, and the simulated results compared well with the experimental data. Of the designs tested, only the parts with the body-centered unit cell exhibited differences in stress–strain responses at different part sizes. Of the compression rates tested, the highest displacement rate (1000 mm/min) often caused stiffer compressive behavior, indicating deviation from the quasi-static assumption and approaching the intermediate rate response. The cellular structures did not change in compression properties across five weeks of aging time, which is desirable for cushioning applications. This work advances knowledge on the structure–property relationships of printed elastomeric cellular materials, which will enable more predictable compressive properties that can be traced to specific unit cell designs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products)
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16 pages, 5889 KiB  
Article
Ethylene-Propylene-Methylene/Isoprene Rubber/SiO2 Nanocomposites with Enhanced Mechanical Performances and Deformation Recovery Ability by a Combination of Synchronously Vulcanizing and Nanoparticle Reinforcement
by Rongyan Hu, Ran Xiao, Xinxin Xia, Yonggang Shangguan and Qiang Zheng
Polymers 2024, 16(19), 2809; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16192809 - 3 Oct 2024
Viewed by 949
Abstract
It is highly desired yet challenging to develop advanced elastomers with excellent mechanical properties, including high strength and toughness. In this work, strong and tough rubber/rubber compound vulcanizates were facilely prepared by blending ethylene-propylene-methylene (EPM) and isoprene rubber (IR) together with dicumyl peroxide [...] Read more.
It is highly desired yet challenging to develop advanced elastomers with excellent mechanical properties, including high strength and toughness. In this work, strong and tough rubber/rubber compound vulcanizates were facilely prepared by blending ethylene-propylene-methylene (EPM) and isoprene rubber (IR) together with dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and subsequent vulcanization, since both EPM and IR can be vulcanized synchronously by DCP and the well-crosslinked structure of EPM/IR vulcanizate presented a stable phase separation state. By tuning their composition, EPM/IR vulcanizates could present remarkably improved mechanical strength and toughness, as well as excellent energy dissipation and deformation recovery abilities. Furthermore, EPM/IR/SiO2 nanocomposites with better properties were prepared by introducing silica nanoparticles into EPM/IR vulcanizates. It was found that the high toughness and strength of EPM/IR vulcanizates and EPM/IR/SiO2 nanocomposites mainly resulted from the combination of stretchability of EPM and strain hardening of IR. Their excellent energy dissipation and deformation recovery abilities were related to the macromolecular characteristics of EPM and IR, compatibility between EPM and IR, and their crosslinking dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products)
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15 pages, 3905 KiB  
Article
Extrusion 3D Printing of Intrinsically Fluorescent Thermoplastic Polyimide: Revealing an Undisclosed Potential
by Premkumar Kothavade, Abdullah Kafi, Chaitali Dekiwadia, Viksit Kumar, Santhosh Babu Sukumaran, Kadhiravan Shanmuganathan and Stuart Bateman
Polymers 2024, 16(19), 2798; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16192798 - 2 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1148
Abstract
Thermoplastic polyimides (TPIs) are promising lightweight materials for replacing metal components in aerospace, rocketry, and automotive industries. Key TPI attributes include low density, thermal stability, mechanical strength, inherent flame retardancy, and intrinsic fluorescence under UV light. The application of advanced manufacturing techniques, especially [...] Read more.
Thermoplastic polyimides (TPIs) are promising lightweight materials for replacing metal components in aerospace, rocketry, and automotive industries. Key TPI attributes include low density, thermal stability, mechanical strength, inherent flame retardancy, and intrinsic fluorescence under UV light. The application of advanced manufacturing techniques, especially 3D printing, could significantly broaden the use of TPIs; however, challenges in melt-processing this class of polymer represent a barrier. This study explored the processability, 3D-printing and hence mechanical, and fluorescence properties of TPI coupons, demonstrating their suitability for advanced 3D-printing applications. Moreover, the study successfully 3D-printed a functional impeller for an overhead stirrer, effectively replacing its metallic counterpart. Defects were shown to be readily detectable under UV light. A thorough analysis of TPI processing examining its rheological, morphological, and thermal properties is presented. Extruded TPI filaments were 3D-printed into test coupons with different infill geometries to examine the effect of tool path on mechanical performance. The fluorescence properties of the 3D-printed TPI coupons were evaluated to highlight their potential to produce intricately shaped thermally stable, fluorescence-based sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products)
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19 pages, 3552 KiB  
Article
Thermally Conductive and Electrically Insulating Polymer-Based Composites Heat Sinks Fabricated by Fusion Deposition Modeling
by Simone Bagatella, Annacarla Cereti, Francesco Manarini, Marco Cavallaro, Raffaella Suriano and Marinella Levi
Polymers 2024, 16(3), 432; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym16030432 - 4 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1786
Abstract
This study explores the potential of novel boron nitride (BN) microplatelet composites with combined thermal conduction and electrical insulation properties. These composites are manufactured through Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM), and their application for thermal management in electronic devices is demonstrated. The primary focus [...] Read more.
This study explores the potential of novel boron nitride (BN) microplatelet composites with combined thermal conduction and electrical insulation properties. These composites are manufactured through Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM), and their application for thermal management in electronic devices is demonstrated. The primary focus of this work is, therefore, the investigation of the thermoplastic composite properties to show the 3D printing of lightweight polymeric heat sinks with remarkable thermal performance. By comparing various microfillers, including BN and MgO particles, their effects on material properties and alignment within the polymer matrix during filament fabrication and FDM processing are analyzed. The characterization includes the evaluation of morphology, thermal conductivity, and mechanical and electrical properties. Particularly, a composite with 32 wt% of BN microplatelets shows an in-plane thermal conductivity of 1.97 W m−1 K−1, offering electrical insulation and excellent printability. To assess practical applications, lightweight pin fin heat sinks using these composites are designed and 3D printed. Their thermal performance is evaluated via thermography under different heating conditions. The findings are very promising for an efficient and cost-effective fabrication of thermal devices, which can be obtained through extrusion-based Additive Manufacturing (AM), such as FDM, and exploited as enhanced thermal management solutions in electronic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products)
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19 pages, 6139 KiB  
Article
Advanced FFF of PEEK: Infill Strategies and Material Characteristics for Rapid Tooling
by Karim Abbas, Lukas Hedwig, Nicolae Balc and Sebastian Bremen
Polymers 2023, 15(21), 4293; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15214293 - 1 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1752
Abstract
Traditional vulcanization mold manufacturing is complex, costly, and under pressure due to shorter product lifecycles and diverse variations. Additive manufacturing using Fused Filament Fabrication and high-performance polymers like PEEK offer a promising future in this industry. This study assesses the compressive strength of [...] Read more.
Traditional vulcanization mold manufacturing is complex, costly, and under pressure due to shorter product lifecycles and diverse variations. Additive manufacturing using Fused Filament Fabrication and high-performance polymers like PEEK offer a promising future in this industry. This study assesses the compressive strength of various infill structures (honeycomb, grid, triangle, cubic, and gyroid) when considering two distinct build directions (Z, XY) to enhance PEEK’s economic and resource efficiency in rapid tooling. A comparison with PETG samples shows the behavior of the infill strategies. Additionally, a proof of concept illustrates the application of a PEEK mold in vulcanization. A peak compressive strength of 135.6 MPa was attained in specimens that were 100% solid and subjected to thermal post-treatment. This corresponds to a 20% strength improvement in the Z direction. In terms of time and mechanical properties, the anisotropic grid and isotropic cubic infill have emerged for use in rapid tooling. Furthermore, the study highlights that reducing the layer thickness from 0.15 mm to 0.1 mm can result in a 15% strength increase. The study unveils the successful utilization of a room-temperature FFF-printed PEEK mold in vulcanization injection molding. The parameters and infill strategies identified in this research enable the resource-efficient FFF printing of PEEK without compromising its strength properties. Using PEEK in rapid tooling allows a cost reduction of up to 70% in tool production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products)
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18 pages, 4545 KiB  
Article
Thermal and Oxidative Aging Effects of Polyamide-11 Powder Used in Multi-Jet Fusion
by Chrysoula Pandelidi, Ryan Blakis, Kok Peng Marcian Lee, Stuart Bateman, Milan Brandt and Mladenko Kajtaz
Polymers 2023, 15(10), 2395; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15102395 - 21 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1808
Abstract
The transition of additive manufacturing (AM) from a technique for rapid prototyping to one for manufacturing of near net or net components has been led by the development of methods that can repeatedly fabricate quality parts. High-speed laser sintering and the recently developed [...] Read more.
The transition of additive manufacturing (AM) from a technique for rapid prototyping to one for manufacturing of near net or net components has been led by the development of methods that can repeatedly fabricate quality parts. High-speed laser sintering and the recently developed multi-jet fusion (MJF) processes have seen quick adoption from industry due to their ability to produce high-quality components relatively quickly. However, the recommended refresh ratios of new powder led to notable amounts of used powder being discarded. In this research, polyamide-11 powder, typically used in AM, was thermally aged to investigate its properties at extreme levels of reuse. The powder was exposed to 180 °C in air for up to 168 h and its chemical, morphological, thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties were examined. To decouple the thermo-oxidative aging phenomena from AM process related effects, such as porosity, rheological and mechanical properties characterisation was performed on compression-moulded specimens. It was found that exposure notably affected the properties of both the powder and the derived compression-moulded specimens within the first 24 h of exposure; however, consecutive exposure did not have a significant effect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Materials and Design Processes for Additively Manufactured Products)
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