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Military-spec filament produces stronger 3D-printed objects:
While consumer-grade 3D printers may be adequate for making things like models or curios, they're not always up to the task of creating objects that stand up to real-world use. That could be about to change, though, thanks to a new printing filament.
Compact, inexpensive 3D printers typically utilize a process known as fused filament fabrication (FFF). This involves heating a plastic filament to its melting point, then extruding it through a nozzle. Successive layers of the molten plastic are deposited one on top of the other, forming a single solid object as they cool and fuse together.
According to US Army engineers, though, items printed in this fashion tend to be too structurally weak for rough-and-tough use by soldiers in the field. This is a shame, since if troops were able to carry small, cheap 3D printers with them, they could make parts and tools onsite as needed. And although there are printers that use non-FFF techniques to produce stronger objects, those machines are large and costly, making them impractical for field use.
Led by Dr. Eric D. Wetzel, researchers from the Army's Emerging Composites team set out to address this problem. They ultimately created a new dual-polymer filament that allows consumer 3D printers to produce much stronger items, utilizing their existing FFF hardware.
Source: US Army Research Laboratory
Journal Reference:
Kevin R. Hart, Ryan M. Dunn, Eric D. Wetzel. Tough, Additively Manufactured Structures Fabricated with Dual‐Thermoplastic Filaments, Advanced Engineering Materials (DOI: 10.1002/adem.201901184)
(Score: 2) by Mojibake Tengu on Wednesday August 26 2020, @10:21PM (2 children)
As an owner of a precise Chinese 3D printer (old, bulky previous version of https://www.tiertime.com/up-mini-2/), [tiertime.com] for years, I am not completely sure what to think about US Army engineers. One of the fundamental properties of any plastic filament is even if it does not burn (only some), it melts at very certain temperature, about 250°C at best. You don't want to bet your life on such components. Another of the problematic properties of 3D prints may be insuficient electrical insulation in environment.
When I need a real component I can rely on in a field toy, I grab a piece of true metal and switch on a drill mill, not a 3D printer. The best of what they can do safely are
dildos,buckles and buttons. Field deploy is a pure madness: the printing process is slow, the battle will be already over before your print finishes.I am pretty sure even Russians use big factory industrial 3D printers for titanium components in their new tanks for design only. Final components are forged real. My bet is your next war with them is already lost for you.
Respect Authorities. Know your social status. Woke responsibly.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Wednesday August 26 2020, @10:25PM
Sure, but I'm guessing you wouldn't want to bet your life on that temperature either. Also, I hear it's not always that exciting [schlockmercenary.com].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 27 2020, @11:43PM
You think the ABS in the plastic from an injection molded machine somehow has different thermal properties than a 3D printed part? Thats the point of thermoplastics, they deform at high temperature, its the basis for injection molding. So I don't really buy your argument about any thermal breakdown vs other injection molded plastics (not comparing to metal obviously). Not to mention there are some filaments that extrude at over 400C. You should be quite aware that the strength of the 3d printed object is highly dependent on the way it was printed. You can very much print a part that will have similar tensile strength to an injection molded part (in the intended loading direction) or at least be sufficient to work for hours or days. I'm sure if you've printed anything structural yourself you have been through the iterative process of turning print parameters like layer size, nozzle diameter, shell thickness, fill density, fill pattern, layer orientation, etc. Electrical resistance is again a weird argument as PLA's electrical resistance does lower at higher temperatures but its still not even close to a pure conductor. More than that however is that anyone with a brain who was designing a part that was interfacing with unshielded electrical equipment would choose a material whose properties conform to its intended function. Even then, compared to metal I'd still bet on the PLA at ANY temperature being more resistive than any raw metal.
Your unequivocal point of view certainly seems to me like a lack of actual hands on experience with the technology. Nobody who has actually worked with 3d printers would be so unequivocal in my opinion. It is possible to design effective replacement parts that perform as good as their originals when consideration is made to the parameters of the 3d print and the material used. Fiber reinforced composite filaments are a very interesting and promising development in this regard. Particularly I'm very intrigued by products like glass or carbon fiber reinforced nylon filaments like NylonG and NylonX from MatterHackers. Also PEEK filament by 3DXTech has a stated nozzle extrusion temperature range of 375C - 410C. My point is that 3d printing is not a monolithic operation that either is good or is bad. There is a ton of nuance that takes time and experience to understand and when applied correctly can produce parts that are more than sufficient for their intended purposes.