Paper Number
AM9
Session
Additive Manufacturing
Title
Welding of 3D printed carbon nanotube-polymer composites by locally induced RF heating
Presentation Date and Time
October 15, 2018 (Monday) 2:45
Track / Room
Track 3 / Bellaire
Authors
- Green, Micah J. (Texas A&M University, Chemical Engineering)
- Sweeney, Charles B. (Texas A&M University)
- Saed, Mohammad A. (Texas Tech University)
Author and Affiliation Lines
Micah J. Green1, Charles B. Sweeney2, and Mohammad A. Saed3
1Chemical Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; 2Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843; 3Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409
Speaker / Presenter
Green, Micah J.
Text of Abstract
Additive manufacturing through material extrusion (ME), often termed 3D printing, is a burgeoning method for manufacturing thermoplastic components. However, a key obstacle facing 3D-printed plastic parts in engineering applications is the weak weld between successive filament traces, which often leads to delamination and mechanical failure. This is the chief obstacle to the use of thermoplastic additive manufacturing. Here we report a novel concept for welding 3D-printed thermoplastic interfaces using intense localized heating of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by radio frequency (RF) irradiation at microwave frequencies. The microwave heating of the CNT-polymer composites are a function of CNT percolation, as shown through in situ infrared imaging and simulation. We apply CNT-loaded coatings to 3D printer filament; the ability to coat and print these structures involve both solution- and melt-rheological tuning as a function of CNT loading. After printing, RF irradiation is shown to improve the weld fracture strength by 275%. These remarkable results open up entirely new design spaces for additive manufacturing and also yield new insight into the coupling between dielectric properties and RF field response for nanomaterial networks.