| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T24: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Additive Manufacturing of Polymeric-based Materials: Potentials and Challenges
|
| Presentation Title |
Investigating Property Changes of Reprocessed Fiber Reinforced Polymers for Additive Manufacturing |
| Author(s) |
Pete Schupska, Thomas Harris, Connor Sims, Ryan Hahnlen, Jason Walker |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Pete Schupska |
| Abstract Scope |
This effort’s objective is to quantify the mechanical property degradation in fiber-reinforced polymers during recycling and reprocessing of pellet feedstock for additive manufacturing. The application is pellet-fed 3D printed forming tools for sheet metal. A glass fiber reinforced polycarbonate was selected, and the raw material was processed into test coupons by injection molding for characterization of tensile, thermal, and rheological properties, as well as micro-CT analysis to quantify fiber loading, length, and orientation. Samples were then subjected to a granulating recycling process before reprocessing and recharacterizing. This cycle was repeated through four iterations. In parallel, blends of reground and virgin pellet were characterized in a similar fashion. Subsequently, the same material preparation and evaluation was conducted using a medium format 3D printer. An observable change in mechanical and rheological properties can be observed when subjecting glass fiber-reinforced polycarbonate to recycling processes. |