The rapid prototyping capability of 3D printing has revolutionized manufacturing giving manufacturers the ability to design, produce and test models in a fraction of the time compared to traditional manufacturing methods. A myriad of printers are available commercially and have enabled rapid prototype designs. These new applications are in large part due to their new widespread availability and simplicity. Although 3D printing is so disruptive and innovative, there remain some shortcomings regarding material development. Most commercial printers can print many different materials, but only if the build material comes in a standard form. Therefore, these printers do not allow for rapidly prototyping thermoplastic material and developing new 3D-printable materials.<br/>To enable direct printing of powders we developed a 3D printer capable of printing thermoplastic powder materials through a process of powder melt extrusion (PME). This prototype was found to be capable of printing a variety of powders ranging from commercially available to experimentally developed thermoplastic polymers. With respect to the commercially available polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and high impact polystyrene (HIPS), PME was able to achieve prints of similar print quality to that of a fused filament extrusion printer. Comparative thermal and mechanical analyses were conducted using prints from the PME printer and a commercial fused filament fabrication (FFF) printer to determine if the resulting print properties greatly differed from each other. Results indicated that while 3D printing using PME rather than FFF caused minor differences in the thermal or viscoelastic properties of the printed parts, the bulk tensile properties of the prints are where the differences between PME and FFE were further exemplified. The addition of PME enables the direct 3D printing of powders and will further expand the current landscape of manufacturing.

Development of a powder melt extrusion 3D printer

2019 Spring National Meeting

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