About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T25: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Additive Manufacturing of Polymeric-Based Materials: Potentials and Challenges
|
| Presentation Title |
Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) as a High-Loading Binder System for Magnesium (Mg) Alloy Extrusion |
| Author(s) |
Hyeonseok Kim, Eoin O’Cearbhaill, Mert Celikin |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Hyeonseok Kim |
| Abstract Scope |
This study investigates the impact of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) as a plasticizer-free binder on screw-based material extrusion (SBME) of magnesium (Mg) alloys, comparing it with a polypropylene-polyethylene copolymer (PPcoPE) binder. Material extrusion of Mg alloys is promising for biomedical implants. However, printing binders with high Mg alloy powder loading and effective thermal debinding remain challenging. We analysed the thermal and rheological properties of TPU and PPcoPE at high powder loadings and evaluated their thermal debinding performance. TPU enables stable extrusion of Mg alloys at 70 vol.% powder loading, the highest reported for solid material extrusion. Despite higher residual content (4.7 wt.%) after thermal debinding compared to PPcoPE (0.2 wt.%), TPU’s superior printability at high powder fractions positions it as a promising binder. Optimized thermal debinding with TPU advances high-loading Mg alloy feedstocks, marking the first successful demonstration of ≥70% powder loading and contributing significantly to polymer-based metal 3D printing innovations. |