Xu Tao, Shen Wei, Lin Xiaoshan, Xie Yi Min
Centre for Innovative Structures and Materials, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3001, Australia.
Ameba Engineering Structure Optimization Research Institute, Nanjing 211800, China.
Polymers (Basel). 2020 Dec 16;12(12):3010. doi: 10.3390/polym12123010.
Thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) is a polymer material that has high ductility, good biocompatibility and excellent abrasion resistance. These properties open a pathway to manufacturing functional TPU parts for applications in various fields such as aerospace engineering, medical devices and sports equipment. This study aims to investigate the mechanical properties of additively manufactured TPU material affected by three different processing parameters, including build orientation, mix ratio of the new and reused powders and post-processing. A series of material tests are conducted on TPU dumb-bell specimens. It is found that the mix ratio of the new powder is the most critical factor in improving the mechanical properties of the printed TPU parts. Compared to reused powder, new powder has better particle quality and thermal properties. Besides, build orientation is also a very important factor. TPU parts printed in flat and on-edge orientations show better tensile strength and deformability than those printed in upright orientation. In addition, post-processing is found to significantly enhance the deformability of TPU parts.
热塑性聚氨酯(TPU)是一种具有高延展性、良好生物相容性和出色耐磨性的聚合物材料。这些特性为制造功能性TPU部件开辟了一条道路,可应用于航空航天工程、医疗设备和运动器材等各个领域。本研究旨在探究三种不同加工参数对增材制造TPU材料力学性能的影响,这三个参数包括构建方向、新粉与回用粉末的混合比例以及后处理。对TPU哑铃形试样进行了一系列材料测试。结果发现,新粉的混合比例是提高打印TPU部件力学性能的最关键因素。与回用粉末相比,新粉具有更好的颗粒质量和热性能。此外,构建方向也是一个非常重要的因素。以平面和边缘方向打印的TPU部件比以直立方向打印的部件具有更好的拉伸强度和可变形性。此外,后处理被发现可显著提高TPU部件的可变形性。