COMPOSITE BASED 3D PRINTER

Abstract

The world has witnessed many significant technological developments over the past decade, 3D printing being one of them. 3D printing is an additive manufacturing technique that layer by layer prints three-dimensional objects. Traditional 3D printers use thermoplastic materials like PLA, ABS, PA 12 (nylon), etc. for printing 3D parts. These materials, however, have their limitations which can be addressed by reinforcing these materials with superior materials like carbon fiber and fiberglass. Such a 3D printing process is known as “Composite Based 3D Printing”. Composite 3D printing produces parts with high strength and stiffness while being lightweight at the same time. In this thesis, we present the “CBAM (Composite Based Additive Manufacturing) technique” for composite 3D printing using the “Sheet Lamination Method”. In this method, firstly, a carbon fiber cloth or a glass fiber veil is printed with ink to create a pattern on the layer (choosing the carbon fiber or glass fiber depends on which reinforcement to be added). Then, thermoplastic powder (PA 12) is sprinkled on this layer so that it adheres to the ink to stick to the pattern creating one sheet. Many of such sheets are created which are stacked on top of each other. Then, they are compressed and heated in the furnace simultaneously for curing of the sheets to create a printed part. This part is then post-processed by sandblasting or filing for a better finish resulting in the final shape. 3D printed parts were made using this process having high tensile strength and rigidity. Parts reinforced with fiberglass demonstrated tensile strength of up to 49.7 MPa ii (corresponding to a force of 2924N), and parts reinforced with carbon fiber cloth showcased strength up to 246.2 MPa (corresponding to a force of 6093N). Small scale lightweight parts with good surface finish were achieved as a result of this process. This thesis presents the testing, designing, and fabricating of a composite-based 3D printer capable of printing small-scale composite structures using the “CBAM technique”.