Thermodynamic Coupling Forming Performance of Short Fiber-Reinforced PEEK by Additive Manufacturing

In this work, the PEEK/short carbon fiber (CF) composites were prepared, a new thermodynamic coupling (preheating and impact compaction) process of the FDM method is proposed, and the warp deformation mechanism was obtained by finite element simulation analysis. Results show that a new method could improve the forming quality of an FDM sample. The porosity of FDM samples of the PEEK/CF composite gradually decreased from 10.15% to 6.83% with the increase in impact temperature and frequency. However, the interlayer bonding performance was reduced from 16.9 MPa to 8.50 MPa, which was attributed to the influence of the printing layer height change from the printhead to the forming layer. To explain the above phenomenon, a thermodynamic coupling model was established and a relevant mechanism was analyzed to better understand the interlayer mechanical and porosity properties of PEEK/CF composites. The study reported here provides a reference for improving the forming quality of fabricated PEEK/CF composites by FDM.