Additive manufacturing is increasing in popularity in different applications. One of the challenges limiting its widespread use is the poor understanding of the molecular characteristics of the finished product. The performance and stability of the 3-D printed products is related to the thermodynamic and kinetic properties. The materials used in 3-D printers get exposed to variety of environmental changes that impact the properties of the material in the final product. The main goal of the present study is to understand the thermodynamic, kinetic and microscopic properties of one of the most commonly used polymers in 3-D printing, Polylactic acid (PLA). The PLA has been tested as a filament and a sample from a 3-D printed project. To understand the impact of extrusion on the PLA filament samples, thermal characteristics were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzing (TGA). Similar studies were repeated for the 3-D printed PLA products at different layers of the 3-D printed sample. The kinetic behavior of the materials was analyzed using activation energy of the pre- and post-extrusion PLA.

Thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of polylactic acid as a 3-D printing material

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.