Simulation of metallic parts by 3D printing using metallic powder–polylactide composite filament

Chin Hsiang Cheng, Cherng Chyi Loh, Yi Jie Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study uses a composite material with copper powder added in Polylactide (PLA) to manufacture the metallic parts by 3D printing. The content of composite filament is with 90% copper and 10% PLA in terms of mass percentage. In practices, the printed parts are first printed using a 3D printer and then they are sintered in a high-temperature furnace to remove the PLA and strengthen their mechanical and thermal properties of the printed part. In this study, the sintering process is divided into two processes: (1) the heating process in which printed part is heated such that the PLA in the printed part is decomposed and then combusted away, and (2) the sintering process in which the contacting particles are bonded to form a solid object. A 3D numerical simulation has been performed to study the heat transfer characteristics of the system during heating process. In this study, a completion fraction is defined to indicate the local completion level between the thermal decomposition and the combustion reactions of the PLA in the printed parts.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)495-508
Number of pages14
JournalProgress in Additive Manufacturing
Volume7
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022 Jun

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

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