Preparation and Properties of PETG Filament Modified with a Metallic Additive.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Filaments for additive manufacturing require specific properties tailored to their intended applications.
• There is a need for filaments that combine aesthetic, metal-like qualities with robust mechanical performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a novel 3D printing filament using glycol-modified poly(ethylene terephthalate) copolymer (PETG) and micrometric steel powder.
• To evaluate the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the resulting composite filament for potential structural applications.

Main Methods:

• Composite preparation involving PETG and varying wt.% of steel powder.
• Filament extrusion for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing.
• Characterization of filament properties: morphology, moisture sorption, thermal analysis (TGA), tensile, and compressive strength testing.

Main Results:

• Steel microfiller addition did not significantly alter the thermal properties of the PETG matrix, allowing for standard processing parameters.
• Slight enhancement in thermal stability was observed with 13 wt.% steel powder.
• Steel microfiller acted as a stiffening agent, increasing tensile strength up to 3 wt.% steel powder (approx. 68 MPa).
• Compressive strength consistently increased with higher steel content.

Conclusions:

• The developed PETG-steel composite filaments exhibit promising mechanical reinforcement and processability.
• These novel filaments are suitable for applications requiring structural materials with improved mechanical performance and a metal-like aesthetic.