Experimental Researches Regarding the Manufacturing of New Thermoplastic Materials Used in Additive Technologies

Abstract

During the end of the last century, the emergence of new fabrication technology by the adding of material is considered a milestone in research and technological development. These additive manufacturing processes are the effect of extensive researches and scientific development in different domains of application: precision engineering, laser processes, materials science, medicine and many more others. Additive manufacturing systems can generate a special flexibility in application, which is a benefit that is exploited for the manufacturing of various pieces with superior dimensional accuracy used as conceptual exemplaries, functional parts or indirectly used as a prototype for the obtaining of functional components in the production of customized metallic and polymeric pieces [1, 2, 12, 14]. There are several additive manufacturing processes, all with the advantages and disadvantages for the application areas. Existing additive technologies are classified based on various characteristics, like the type of material used, the state of this material and the operation method. It was implemented a set of standards [3] in order to classifies technologies based on adding material to seven major categories: vat photopolymerisation [4] , binder jetting, material jetting, material extrusion [5], powder bed fusion [6], sheet lamination and direct energy deposition. The fused deposition modeling method applied in this study typically uses two materials: polylactic acid an ecological thermoplastic material obtained by processing plants such as corn, sugar beet and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, which is a mechanically superior thermoplastic, used in many industries , being a material especially for engineers [3, 11].