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Three-Dimensional Printed Lightweight Composite Foams
Bharath H S1, Dileep Bonthu1, Pavana Prabhakar2
1Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Karnataka 53706, India.
ACS Omega
|September 14, 2020
Summary
This study developed 3D printable lightweight composite foams using high-density polyethylene (HDPE) blended with hollow glass microballoons (GMBs). The resulting 3D printed foams exhibit enhanced specific modulus, making them ideal for weight-sensitive applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Engineering
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Lightweight composite foams are desirable for weight-sensitive applications.
- Traditional manufacturing methods for foams have limitations in design complexity and cost.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop 3D printable lightweight composite foams by blending hollow glass microballoons (GMBs) with high-density polyethylene (HDPE).
- To investigate the effect of GMB content on the rheological, thermal, and mechanical properties of HDPE/GMB blends and 3D printed foams.
Main Methods:
- Filament extrusion of HDPE/GMB blends with varying GMB content (20-60 vol%).
- 3D printing of syntactic foam composites using the prepared filaments.
- Characterization of rheological properties (modulus, viscosity, MFI), thermal expansion, and mechanical properties (tensile, flexure) of filaments and 3D printed parts.
Main Results:
- Increasing GMB content enhanced storage modulus, loss modulus, and complex viscosity, while decreasing melt flow index and coefficient of thermal expansion.
- 3D printed HDPE/GMB foams showed significantly higher specific tensile and flexural modulus compared to neat HDPE.
- The HDPE blend with 60% GMB yielded the highest modulus, 48.02% greater than printed HDPE, and 1.8 times higher than molded foams.
Conclusions:
- 3D printed HDPE/GMB composite foams offer superior specific mechanical properties compared to neat HDPE and conventional molded foams.
- These materials are suitable for weight-sensitive applications and have the potential to replace components made via traditional manufacturing.
- Additive manufacturing enables the creation of complex designs with reduced lead time and cost using these novel lightweight foams.
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