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During post-processing of stereolithography photopolymers, the limited penetration depth of ultraviolet (UV) light can lead to inhomogeneous cross-linking. This is a major problem in part design for industrial applications as this creates uncertainty regarding the mechanical load capacity. Therefore, this paper aims to present an experimental method to measure the post-curing depth in stereolithography photopolymers.

Printed specimens made from urethane acrylate photopolymers are placed in a protective housing and are exposed on one side to UV light during post-processing. A depth profile of the hardness according to ASTM D2240 Shore D is determined alongside the specimens. UVA,-B and -C spectra are investigated and the dependence on exposure dose and pigmentation is studied. The results are directly linked to the mechanical properties via tensile tests and validated on an automotive trim part.

Exposure with a 405 nm light-emitting diode provides the deepest homogenous post-curing depth of 10.5 mm, which depends on the overall exposure dose and pigmentation. If the initially transparent photopolymer is colored with black pigments, post-curing depth is significantly reduced and no homogenous post-curing can be achieved. To obtain comparable mechanical properties by tensile tests, complete cross-linking of the specimen cross-section has to be ensured.

The spatial resolution of the presented measurement method depends on the indenter size and sample hardness. As a result, the resolution of the used setup is limited in the area close to the edges of the specimen.

This paper shows that the spatially resolved hardness measurement provides more information on the post-curing influence than the evaluation of global mechanical properties. The presented method can be used to ensure homogenous cross-linking of stereolithography parts.

In this study, waste iron scale, which occurs in high amounts during steel production and contains high amounts of iron element, was used as a reinforcing material in the polypropylene (PP) matrix.

In the PP matrix, 33 micron-sized iron scale was added at 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% ratios. The composites were subjected to mechanical and dry sliding wear tests. The wear mechanisms occurring on the wear surfaces were determined by SEM supported by EDS. Tensile testing was performed using a tensile tester. Hardness tests were performed using a Shore-D hardness tester with ASTM-D-22 standards.

Composite reinforced with 5% iron scale showed the highest tensile strength. The addition of higher amounts of iron scale particles reduced the tensile strength of the composites compared to PP. Hardness increased from 58 to 64 Shore-D with the increase in scale content. The reinforcement of PP with iron scale increased the dry sliding wear resistance.

According to the authors’ knowledge, in the literature review, there was no study found on the effect of iron scale reinforcement on PP.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2020-0316/

The purpose of this study is the investigation of the friction performance of 3D-printed polylactic acid (PLA) at different infill densities.

PLA samples were printed with fused filament fabrication (FFF). Friction performance test of PLA samples were performed under 18 N load at 20 min, 40 min and 60 min using a pin-on-disc tester. Diameter deviation, hardness of 3D-printed PLA, weight variation, coefficient of friction, temperature and wear images were chosen as performance criteria.

The hardness values of the samples with 30%, 50% and 70% infill density were determined as 93.9, 99.93 and 102.67 Shore D, respectively. The friction of coefficient values obtained in these samples at 20 min, 40 min and 60 min were measured as 0.5737, 0.4454 and 0.3824, respectively. The least deformation occurred in the sample with 50% occupancy rate and during the test period of 20 min.

The aim of this study was to determine the best friction performance of 3D-printed biodegradable and biocompatible PLA with different infill densities.

In the literature, several studies can be found on the mechanical characteristics of 3D-printed parts produced with PLA. However, investigations on the wear characterisation of these parts are very limited. In this regard, the friction coefficient results obtained from different infill density of 3D-printed PLA used in this study will significantly contribute to the literature.

A common procedure for processing stereolithography epoxy injection molds includes a one hour post‐cure in a UV chamber. This research investigates the degree of cure achieved in the UV chamber and the degree of cure achieved by heating in a thermal oven. It is hypothesized that a more fully cured mold is harder and hence will produce more parts before failure. This research investigates various post‐cure processes and suggests a post‐cure strategy to achieve this end.

This paper presents findings from a study examining curing procedures to improve the compressive strength and hardness properties of specimens while maintaining surface quality. All specimens were created from a standard grey, acrylic-based photopolymer and fabricated using stereolithography technology. This paper aims to investigate the effects of printing layer thickness and print orientation on specimen compressive strength, as well as the effects of thermal and light curing methods. In addition, the post-print curing depth was investigated.

The effects of layer thickness and print orientation were investigated on 10 × 20 mm cylinders by determining the ultimate compressive strength once cured. The compressive strength of cylinders subjected to varying thermal and light settings was also investigated to determine the optimal curing settings. The effective depth of curing was investigated on a 25.4-mm cuboidal specimen, which received both thermal and light curing.

To achieve the highest compressive strength, specimens shall be printed with the minimal layer thickness of 25 µm. Increasing temperatures up to 60° C during curing provided a 0.75-MPa increase in compressive strength per degree Celsius. However, increasing temperatures above 60° C only provided a 0.15-MPa increase in compressive strength per degree Celsius. Furthermore, curing temperatures above 110° C resulted in degraded surface quality noted by defects at the layer laminations. Specimens required a minimum light curing exposure time of four hours to reach the maximum cure at which point any increase in exposure time provided no substantial increase in compressive strength.

This study provides recommendations for printing parameters and curing methods to achieve the optimum mechanical properties of cured stereolithography specimens.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the properties of several thiol-acrylate photosensitive systems and compare with corresponding acrylate free-radical systems. The potential stereolithography applications of thiol–ene photosensitive systems are also discussed.

In the both thiol–ene and acrylate free-radical photosensitive systems, various key performances were characterized. The function group conversions were characterized by real-time Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The tension strength was determined according to the standard ASTM D638-2003, the flexible strength was determined according to ASTM D790-07 and the hardness was measured according to ASTM D2240-05. The volume shrinkage was measured by dilatometer method. The glass transition temperature was analyzed by differential scanning calorimeter.

As adding mercapto propionates into acrylate system, the inhibition of polymerization by oxygen was controlled and the flexible performance was improved. In addition, the photosensitive resin showed better tension strength, higher elongation at break and lower volume shrinkage. Among the four mercapto propionates, rigid TEMPIC showed most obvious affect, followed hexa-functional DPMP, tetra-functional PETMP and tri-functional TMMP.

Although the thiol–ene photosensitive resin has unmatched advantages in performance, there are no reports on the thiol–ene photosensitive resin in the stereolithography application. In this study, thiol–ene photopolymerization material was first tentatively implemented in stereolithography area. Several critical performance parameters were compared between thiol–ene and acrylate free-radical photosensitive systems.

This study aims to investigate the mechanical, thermal, melt-flow and morphological behavior of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)-based composites after bentonite inclusions. Melt mixing is the most preferred production method in industrial scale and basically it has very near processing parameters compared to 3D printing applications. Rheological parameters of ABS and its composites are important for 3D applications. Melt flow behavior of ABS effects the fabrication of 3D printed product at desired levels. Shear thinning and non-Newtonian viscosity characteristics of ABS make viscosity control easier and more flexible for several processing techniques including injection molding, compression molding and 3D printing.

ABS copolymer was reinforced with bentonite mineral (BNT) at four different loading ratios of 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%. ABS/BNT composites were fabricated by lab-scale micro-compounder followed by injection molding process. Mechanical, thermo-mechanical, thermal, melt-flow and morphological properties of composites were investigated by tensile, hardness and impact tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA), melt flow index (MFI) test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively.

Mechanical tests revealed that tensile strength, elongation and hardness of ABS were enhanced as BNT content increased. Glass transition temperature and storage modulus of ABS exhibited increasing trend with the additions of BNT. However, impact strength values dropped down with BNT inclusion. According to MFI test measurements, BNT incorporation displayed no significant change for MFI value of ABS. Homogeneous dispersion of BNT particles into ABS phase was deduced from SEM micrographs of composites. Loading ratio of 15% BNT was remarked as the most suitable candidate among fabricated ABS-based composites according to findings.

The advanced mechanical properties and easy processing characteristics are the reasons for usage of ABS as an engineering plastic. Owing to the increase in its usage for 3D printing technology, the ABS became popular in recent years. The utilization of ABS in this technology is in filament form with various colors and dimensions. This is because of its proper rheological features.

Melt-mixing technique was used as preparation of composites, as this processing method is widely applied in industry. This method is also providing similar processing methodology with 3D printing technology.

According to the literature survey, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first research work regarding the melt-flow performance of ABS-based composites to evaluate their 3D printing applications and processability. ABS and BNT containing composites were characterized by tensile, impact and shore hardness tests, DMA, TGA), MFI test and SEM techniques.

Material extrusion-based additive manufacturing is a prominent manufacturing technique to fabricate complex geometrical three-dimensional (3D) parts. Despite the indisputable advantages of material extrusion-based technique, the poor surface and subsurface integrity hinder the industrial application of this technology. The purpose of this study is introducing the hot air jet treatment (HAJ) technique for surface treatment of additive manufactured parts.

In the presented research, novel theoretical formulation and finite element models are developed to study and model the polishing mechanism of printed parts surface through the HAJ technique. The model correlates reflow material volume, layer width and layer height. The reflow material volume is a function of treatment temperature, treatment velocity and HAJ velocity. The values of reflow material volume are obtained through the finite element modeling model due to the complexity of the interactions between thermal and mechanical phenomena. The theoretical model presumptions are validated through experiments, and the results show that the treatment parameters have a significant impact on the surface characteristics, hardness and dimensional variations of the treated surface.

The results demonstrate that the average value of error between the calculated theoretical results and experimental results is 14.3%. Meanwhile, the 3D plots of Ra and Rq revealed that the maximum values of Ra and Rq reduction percentages at 255°C, 270°C, 285°C and 300°C treatment temperatures are (35.9%, 33.9%), (77.6%,76.4%), (94%, 93.8%) and (85.1%, 84%), respectively. The scanning electron microscope results illustrate three different treatment zones and the treatment-induced and manufacturing-induced entrapped air relief phenomenon. The measured results of hardness variation percentages and dimensional deviation percentages at different regimes are (8.33%, 0.19%), (10.55%, 0.31%) and (−0.27%, 0.34%), respectively.

While some studies have investigated the effect of the HAJ process on the structural integrity of manufactured items, there is a dearth of research on the underlying treatment mechanism, the integrity of the treated surface and the subsurface characteristics of the treated surface.

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been one of the most highlighted processes of the last few years. AM prints complex parts and items from 3D files regarding different materials, such as polymers. Moreover, there are different AM techniques available for polymers, such as selective laser sintering. In the SLS technology, polyamides 11 and 12 lead 88% of the market. These materials are high-cost and use an average of 50% of virgin material at each printing. It is possible to use lower rates of virgin material, but at least 30% is recommended. Low rates of virgin material decrease mechanical properties.

This study aims to evaluate the influence on the mechanical properties of the percentage of reused PA12 in parts manufactured by the SLS process. The specimens of PA12 were manufactured with a percentage of virgin/reused polymer of 50/50, 40/60, 30/70, 20/80 and 10/90. We considered three distinct printing directions to compare the mechanical properties of the specimens: horizontal, perpendicular and vertical.

The results showed that when the percentage of reused material increases, the tensile strength limit (TSL), flexural strength limit and Shore D hardness decrease. Another aspect visualized was the fragile behavior presented in the vertical specimens. In addition, DSC analysis indicated a 2% reduction of crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed spherical voids and unfused particles of PA12 at the fracture of tensile test specimens. The material thermal history and unfused particles could decrease the material properties.

We observed that the mechanical properties, such as the TSL, flexural strength limit and hardness, decrease as the percentage of reused material increases. In addition, the process presented a printing-direction dependence, where the vertical direction presented as the more brittle between the ones used.

The purpose of this study is to utilize two types of gypsum mold wastes from two different factories as novel and economical reinforcing fillers for composites that may be useful for building materials and floors. Two types of gypsum mold wastes from two different factories as raw materials were incorporated into linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) aiming to get rid of that waste in one hand and obtaining useful economical composites suitable for building materials and floors.

Composites were prepared from two types of gypsum mold wastes substituted with different ratios from raw gypsum and LLDPE throughout the melt blending technique. The physico-mechanical and electrical investigations in addition to the morphology of the composites were included.

The mechanical results illustrate that substituting commercial gypsum with gypsum mold waste positively affects tensile strength, flexural strength and hardness shore D for the LLDPE composites. The tensile strength increased from 5 MPa for LLDPE filled with commercial gypsum as blank samples to 11.2 and 13.2 MPa for LLDPE filled with D and S waste. Also, electrical properties which include both permittivity ɛ′ and dielectric loss ɛ″ increased with increasing the waste content in the LLDPE matrix. In addition to the electrical conductivity values, σ lies in the order of insulation materials. Consequently, it is possible to produce materials with a gypsum matrix by adding industrial waste, improving the behavior of the traditional gypsum and enabling those composites to be applied in various construction applications as eco-friendly tiles.

This study aims to prepare eco-friendly composites based on LLDPE and waste gypsum mold to preserve resources for the coming generations, other than lowering the environmental footprint and saving the costs of getting rid of it.