Performance evaluation on particle-reinforced rigid/flexible composites via fused deposition modeling 3D printing

The diversity of filament consumables is the basis for developing of fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing industry. At the same time, the blending of matrix materials and the addition of reinforcing materials are the manufacturing difficulties of this composite 3D printing consumable. In this article, poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/organic montmorillonite (OMMT) composites were manufactured to systematically study the characteristics and laws of these composites. Both the rigid matrix PLA and the flexible matrix TPU played advantages in multi-component composites, while the blended matrix balanced their characteristics. OMMT added with 5% wt not only improved the mechanical and thermal properties of matrix materials but also affected the processability and practicability of composite consumables. The distribution of OMMT particles in the composites was quantitatively analyzed through image processing technology. PLA/TPU/OMMT FDM 3D printed samples as a representative composite system were selected to evaluate the general performance of particle-reinforced 3D printed composites, and to provide reference for the research and development based on this type of 3D printed products.