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Graphene-enhanced 3D printing filament aimed toward bettering manufacturing charges

The designer and manufacturer of graphene nanoplate and advanced materials containing graphene nanoplate from XG Sciences Inc. (Lansing, Michigan, USA) and the 3D printing filament manufacturer Terrafilum have a joint development agreement to develop, manufacture, and commercialize of 3D printing filaments and coatings using graphene-based materials.

Graphene was first isolated and characterized in 2004 and is a single layer of carbon atoms configured in a honeycomb lattice on an atomic scale. Among many known properties, monolayer graphene is harder than diamond, lighter than steel, but significantly stronger, and conducts electricity better than copper. Graphene nanosheets – particles made up of multiple layers of graphene – are reported to have unique abilities in terms of energy storage, thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, barrier properties, lubricity and the ability to improve physical properties when incorporated into plastics, metals or other matrices will.

Chris Jackson, President of Terrafilum, said, “The full potential for 3D printing is gradually being unlocked. By adding XG’s graphene formulations to our environmentally friendly filaments, products are transformed so that a greater variety of parts can be made at faster production rates and less energy. “

3D printing for prototyping and limited production parts continues to grow. However, companies have been urged to move into mass production due to material constraints such as directional structural weaknesses, poor conductivity, and a limited selection of ESD-robust filaments, a general lack of part performance, and slow production times.

Graphene reinforced filaments help solve product-related problems associated with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printing in the past by improving Z-direction strength, providing more robust ESD parts, and overall lighter parts in less time produce.

“The combination of established 3D printing technologies with our graphene-enriched formulations makes the material difference in solving the two most limiting factors for 3D printed parts, product strength and processing speed,” says Dr. Leroy Magwood, Chief Technologist at XG Sciences.

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Printing tests on the final composite magnetic filament.  Photos on the University of Seville.

Seville researchers develop novel technique of composite filament manufacturing

Researchers from the University of Seville, Spain has developed a new process for making highly customizable composite filaments for the FFF 3D printing process.

The process uses pellet-like polymer capsules filled with magnetic additives. Using a 3devo Composer 450 filament manufacturer – a single-screw desktop extruder – the team was able to produce a special composite filament from the capsules that has an even distribution of additives and excellent printability properties.

Printing tests on the final composite magnetic filament. Photos on the University of Seville.

Formulation of filaments for FFF

Filaments and materials in general can be further functionalized with additives – particles that are embedded in the base matrix and add strength or some other desirable property. In the case of polymer filaments, achieving a very uniform additive dispersion can significantly increase homogeneity and maximize mechanical properties throughout the material. This usually requires several extrusion cycles with a twin screw compounder in order to really use the entropy effects.

While the cyclic method is effective, it is often impossible without special production equipment that a research laboratory may not always have available, let alone the time it takes to spend multiple extrusion runs. As a result, materials studies are sometimes limited to the compositions and filler concentrations offered by commercial companies – a potential impedance to science.

PLA capsules and steel powder

The first part of the Seville study involved the formulation of the new particle-filled capsules. The scientists used commercially available PLA pellets to 3D print a grid of open hollow capsules (almost like an ice cube tray). The team then filled each capsule with soft magnetic maraging steel powder before the lids were closed with PLA lids and sealed with acetone. The result: a range of highly customizable PLA pods filled with magnetic powder.

Printing and filling the capsules.  Image via the University of Seville.Printing and filling the capsules. Image via the University of Seville.

Then it was time to extrude the newly developed capsules to make the final filament. Since the capsules were completely sealed, the risk of the magnetic additive building up and being retained in certain places in the extruder was eliminated. The PLA shells reached the melt zone of the extruder in one piece so they could maintain their filler levels throughout the process.

SEM image of the magnetic steel in the PLA matrix.  Image via the University of Seville.SEM image of the magnetic steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.

X-ray tomography imaging of the resulting filament indicated that the batch had produced a smooth and continuous composite material with a uniform magnetic powder distribution. The researchers cite the need for a single extrusion run on a relatively inexpensive single screw extruder as the main advantage of the process. Despite the lack of industrial resources, the team continued to be able to create a predictable and reproducible filament composition and intends to expand research to other polymer matrices and additives.

X-ray tomography showing the even distribution of the steel in the PLA matrix.  Image via the University of Seville.X-ray tomography showing the even distribution of the steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.

For more details on the study, see the article entitled ‘Novel process for the production of functional composite filaments for additive manufacturing on a laboratory scale‘. It is co-author of Á. Díaz-García, JY Law, A. Cota, A. Bellido-Correa, J. Ramírez-Rico, R. Schäfer and V. Franco.

Multi-material composite filaments have grown in importance in recent years as the technology used for printing has advanced. Earlier this month 3D printer manufacturer RIZE debuted his new very durable RIZIUM fiberglass filament for use with its FFF 3D printers. The fiber-reinforced material has high dimensional stability and rigidity and is mainly intended for the manufacture of large parts.

Elsewhere, the U.S. Army has gone a step further and reinforced one polymer filament with another polymer filament. The high strength material has a Polycarbonate core and an ABS shelland is designed for use with low cost extrusion printers.

The 4th annual 3D Printing Industry Awards are coming up in November 2020 and we need a trophy. With the chance to be there to win a brand new product Craftbot Flow IDEX XL 3D printer, Enter the MyMiniFactory trophy design contest here. We are happy to accept submissions until September 30, 2020.

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The picture shown shows the X-ray tomography of the evenly distributed steel in the PLA matrix. Image via the University of Seville.