| About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T23: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Additive Manufacturing of Polymeric-based Materials: Challenges and Potentials
|
| Presentation Title |
Extrusion of Compounded rPET with Graphite Powder into Filament for Material Extrusion (MEX) Additive Manufacturing Technology |
| Author(s) |
Trent G. Townsend, Ola Rashwan, Matthew Caputo |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Trent G. Townsend |
| Abstract Scope |
Recycled Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (rPET) can be extruded into filament for material extrusion additive manufacturing (MEX). However, rPET filament is highly hygroscopic and is susceptible to degradation from recycling cycles. This research focuses on mitigating the deterioration of rPET filament by compounding rPET pellets with graphite powder. The rPET/graphite filament was extruded using a twin-screw extruder. Plain rPET filament was used as a control sample. The American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard test specimens were printed using MEX additive manufacturing technology: tensile, IZOD impact, and 3-point flexural samples. The graphite-reinforced rPET samples showed superior mechanical properties to the plain rPET. The enhancement of the mechanical properties of the graphite rPET samples demonstrated its potential to be a promising sustainable material for the fast–growing additive manufacturing MEX technology. |