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Corey M. Shemelya and Eric MacDonald W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA

Ryan B. Wicker W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA; and Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA (Received 8 April 2014; accepted 13 June 2014)

Material extrusion 3D printing (ME3DP) based on fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology is currently the most commonly used additive manufacturing method. However, ME3DP suffers from a limitation of compatible materials and typically relies upon amorphous thermoplastics, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). The work presented here demonstrates the development and implementation of binary and ternary polymeric blends for ME3DP. Multiple blends of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), styrene ethylene butadiene styrene (SEBS), and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) were created through a twin screw compounding process to produce novel polymer blends compatible with ME3DP platforms. Mechanical testing and fractography were used to characterize the different physical properties of these new blends. Though the new blends possessed different physical properties, compatibility with ME3DP platforms was maintained. Also, a decrease in surface roughness of a standard test piece was observed for some blends as compared with ABS.

I. INTRODUCTION

Material extrusion 3D printing (ME3DP) is a technology which relies upon the extrusion of a thermoplastic monofilament through a heated nozzle.1,2 Originally trademarked as fused deposition modeling (FDM™), there has been a dramatic increase in the use of this technology with rapid growth in the form of desktop models of various grades3 and do-it-yourself (DIY) kits due to the expiration of the original patents on the technology in 2009.4 As is the case with other 3D printing technologies, ME3DP presents many advantages over traditional manufacturing techniques, most notably direct computer aided design (CAD) to final part fabrication, the capability to print unique and complex geometries, and short design to product cycle time. The flexibility of ME3DP makes it an attractive manufacturing platform; however, the greatest limitation to this technology is a dependence on amorphous polymeric materials as a feedstock, limiting the amount of printable materials. The lack of a large variety of compatible materials limits the applicability of parts fabricated a)

Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected] DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2014.158 J. Mater. Res., Vol. 29, No. 17, Sep 14, 2014

http://journals.cambridge.org

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from ME3DP and inhibits the overall growth of this technology. Currently, two of the most common polymers used by ME3DP are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). One method to increase t