Mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour of PLA and PLA/wood composites prepared by 3D printing and injection moulding
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 3 April 2019
Issue publication date: 12 July 2019
Abstract
Purpose
This papers aims to study the influence of water absorption on the mechanical properties of poly lactic acid (PLA) and PLA/Wood composites. Virgin PLA and PLA/Wood double-bone-shaped specimens were prepared by two methods: injection moulding and 3D printing. The results were compared to each other and showed the influence of the production method on the properties of the produced parts.
Design/methodology/approach
Morphology studies were done by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) from fracture surfaces of tensile and notched impact specimens of all samples. Tensile properties were analysed by the production and testing of dog-bone-shaped samples. Heat deflection temperature (HDT) was tested, as also was the crystallinity of the tested samples by differential scanning calorimetry.
Findings
The values for notched impact strength were higher upon water uptake in the case of injection-moulded specimens, which was not the case with 3D-printed specimens. Tensile properties of the specimens produced by both methods were reduced after water absorption tests. Values of the HDT were also lower after water absorption tests studied for both processing methods.
Originality/value
Morphology studies were done by SEM from fracture surfaces of tensile as well as notched impact specimens of injection-moulded and 3D-printed samples. The effect of water storage on various samples was tested. The two different production technologies were compared to each other owing to their influence of water storage. This study also dealt with NFC compounds and produced NFC composites and the influence of water storage on these samples.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund and the province of Upper Austria through the programs IWB 2014-2020 – Upper Austria (project Biorest) and INTERREG V-A Österreich – Deutschland/Bayern 2014-2020 (project TFP Hy-Mat AB97).
Citation
Ecker, J.V., Haider, A., Burzic, I., Huber, A., Eder, G. and Hild, S. (2019), "Mechanical properties and water absorption behaviour of PLA and PLA/wood composites prepared by 3D printing and injection moulding", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 672-678. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-06-2018-0149
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited