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. 2016 Mar 11:6:23058.
doi: 10.1038/srep23058.

Three-dimensional printing of continuous-fiber composites by in-nozzle impregnation

Ryosuke Matsuzaki  1 , Masahito Ueda  2 , Masaki Namiki  2 , Tae-Kun Jeong  2 , Hirosuke Asahara  2 , Keisuke Horiguchi  1 , Taishi Nakamura  1 , Akira Todoroki  3 , Yoshiyasu Hirano  4
Affiliations

Three-dimensional printing of continuous-fiber composites by in-nozzle impregnation

Ryosuke Matsuzaki et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

We have developed a method for the three-dimensional (3D) printing of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics based on fused-deposition modeling. The technique enables direct 3D fabrication without the use of molds and may become the standard next-generation composite fabrication methodology. A thermoplastic filament and continuous fibers were separately supplied to the 3D printer and the fibers were impregnated with the filament within the heated nozzle of the printer immediately before printing. Polylactic acid was used as the matrix while carbon fibers, or twisted yarns of natural jute fibers, were used as the reinforcements. The thermoplastics reinforced with unidirectional jute fibers were examples of plant-sourced composites; those reinforced with unidirectional carbon fiber showed mechanical properties superior to those of both the jute-reinforced and unreinforced thermoplastics. Continuous fiber reinforcement improved the tensile strength of the printed composites relative to the values shown by conventional 3D-printed polymer-based composites.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Schematic of the 3D printer head used to produce continuous FRTPs using in-nozzle impregnation based on FDM. (b) Continuous fiber reinforcements used for 3D printing. (c) Photograph of the 3D printing of a CFRTP.
Figure 2
Figure 2
3D-printed (a) CFRTP and (b) dumbbell-shaped JFRTP tensile test specimens. (c) Cross-section and (d) magnified cross-section of the CFRTP specimen.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Stress-strain curves of PLA, unidirectional CFRTP, and unidirectional JFRTP specimens fabricated by 3D printing.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Tensile modulus, (b) tensile strength, and (c) tensile strain-to-failure of specimens fabricated by 3D printing.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Fracture of a unidirectional continuous FRTP fabricated by 3D printing.
Fiber pullout due to tensile fracture observed as an (a) overview and (b) scanning electron microscopy image of the CFRTP specimen. (c) Fiber pullout in the JFRTP specimen.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Young’s moduli and strengths of continuous carbon-fiber composites fabricated in the present study compared with composites fabricated by FDM and using commercially available 3D printers, such as SLS, SLA, and FDM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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