3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / New Polymer Blends Display Enhanced Interlayer Bonding for FFF/FDM 3D Prints
qidi

New Polymer Blends Display Enhanced Interlayer Bonding for FFF/FDM 3D Prints

August 15, 2019

Spanish researchers have developed polymer blends that enhance interlayer bonding for FFF/FDM 3D prints. By mixing together TPU and ABS in various proportions, they have reportedly created new materials with “the appearance of new supramolecular interactions via hydrogen bonding“. In effect, the blends have far better interlayer bonding while displaying no loss in yield strength. The blend material could serve as a good thermoplastic alternative for conventional polymers, providing better strength operating under lower heating requirements for the bed and nozzle.

While FFF/FDM have come a long way, there are still quite some drawbacks. Compared to a method like injection molding, mechanical properties can be 50% lower for printed parts. Pure ABS, for example, decreases in tensile yield strength from 49.94 to 27.59 MPa after printing. Complex prints can suffer due to a lack of homogeneous distribution of the material and the presence of air gaps between the layers. This makes the printed objects more brittle and causes them to suffer from high anisotropy.

Related Story
Luminescent PLA Composite Filaments Display Improved Characteristics

The researchers posited that Thermoplastic Elastomer (TPEs) blends were a good solution to this issue. They state that such material composites have good adhesive properties and some can also be processed without a heated bed. Therefore, their research settled on the idea of mixing ABS, one of the most common printed thermoplastics, with TPU. They also note that adhesive properties were better in the blend, while still maintaining the desirable mechanical properties.

“It can be observed that TPU characteristic peaks increase proportionally with the TPU content in the blends,” stated the researchers. “This is a first indication of good compatibility between ABS and TPU in the blends, since we cannot identify separated regions of ABS and TPU, at least within the spatial resolution of the Raman laser. To investigate more in detail the chemical composition of the ABS:TPU blends, XY Raman mappings of the blends were performed.”

Enhanced ABS/TPU Polymer Blend

Polymer Blends Display Enhanced Adhesion in FFF/FDM
Fig. shows Average Raman spectra of pure ABS (red), ABS:TPU blends containing 10 wt% TPU (blue), 20 wt% TPU (green), 30 wt% TPU (black) and pure TPU (light blue); b–c) Raman micrographs of blends containing 20 wt% TPU. Red area indicates the ABS characteristic peak at 1012 cm−1 while blue area corresponds to characteristic peak of TPU at 1531 cm−1.

The researchers went through various proportions of blends to arrive at ideal ones. They prepared the 3D printer filament using a single-screw extruder (Noztek, UK) at a temperature of 230 °C with a screw speed of 60 rpm. They extruded about 50 g worth of filaments with 1.75 ± 0.10 mm diameter using ABS as the matrix and TPU as the additive. The polymer blends were composed of 10 wt%, 20 wt% and 30 wt% TPU and 90 wt%, 80 wt% and 70 wt% ABS respectively.

They found that 10-20% TPU was a good for enhanced interlayer bonding without decreases the yield strength. Similarly, the 30% TPU version also allowed for printing with no additional bed heating. This gives makes it both strong and convenient for less elaborate printing setups. The researchers go even further stating:

“Due to their commercial availability and simple preparation of the blends, we believe these materials are particular interesting for large-scale, industrial applications as an alternative to pure ABS.”

Featured image courtesy of the researchers and Universidad de Cádiz. The full study is available here.

Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Researchers at the University of Cambridge's Center for Industrial Photonics have developed a new additive manufacturing technique called laser-assisted cold spray (LACS). The... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Laser-Assisted Cold Spray Technology Enhances Material Deposition Process

Titomic Netherlands Secures Strategic Funding to Advance Cold Spray 3D Printing Technology

Titomic Limited, an Australian company specializing in cold spray additive manufacturing, has received €800,000 in funding from the Netherlands' 3D Print Kompas program.... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Titomic Netherlands Secures Strategic Funding to Advance Cold Spray 3D Printing Technology

3D-Printed Insects Help Scientists Map the Limits of Mimicry in Nature

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a method to 3D print life-sized, color-accurate insect models for biological research. The team, led... read more »

Environmental

University of Hong Kong Scientists Explore Growing Organs with 3D Printing Technology

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) are working to combine 3D-printed respiratory tissue with lab-grown organoids to create functional airways for... read more »

Bioprinting
University of Hong Kong Scientists Explore Growing Organs with 3D Printing Technology

SHINING 3D Unveils EinScan Rigil with Tri-Mode Scanning for Pro-sumer Flexibility

SHINING 3D has launched its newest flagship 3D scanner, the EinScan Rigil — touted as the world’s first 3D scanner featuring Tri-Mode operation... read more »

News
SHINING 3D Unveils EinScan Rigil with Tri-Mode Scanning for Pro-Level Flexibility

ETH Zurich 3D Prints Recycled Plastic Structure for Swiss Ice Cream Shop

ETH Zurich students have completed a 3D-printed ice cream shop in the Swiss Alpine village of Mulegns. The project, called Gelateria, was designed... read more »

Construction
ETH Zurich 3D Prints Recycled Plastic Structure for Swiss Ice Cream Shop

Hugo Launches 3D Printed Loafers with Zellerfeld

Hugo, the younger brand under Hugo Boss, has partnered with 3D printing company Zellerfeld to create a fully 3D-printed loafer. The shoe is... read more »

Fashion
Hugo Launches 3D Printed Loafers with Zellerfeld

3D Printed Resin Combines Rubber Flexibility with Plastic Strength, Surprising Scientists

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a 3D printing method that can create objects with both soft and hard... read more »

News
3D Printed Resin Combines Rubber Flexibility with Plastic Strength, Surprising Scientists

LPE Supports Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory with 3D Printed Rocket Engine Chamber

Students at Queen's University Belfast have developed what they describe as Ireland's first student-built liquid rocket engine. The Kelvin Mk.1, named after Belfast-born... read more »

3D Printing Metal
LPE Supports Queen’s Propulsion Laboratory with 3D Printed Rocket Engine Chamber

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing