POLYMERIC STRUCTURE AND PROCESSING

3D Printing Methods
Polymer
 Chemical compound 1. Melting
 Molecular bond: long repeating chains - Softening a material to produce layers
 Can be manmade or naturally occurring 2. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
- Most common technique, along with FDM
Rubber 3. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
 Natural polymer 4. Stereolithography (SLA)
 Excellent elastic qualities - Curing a photo-reactive resin with a UBV laser or
another similar power source
Shellac
 Resin produced by lac bug (India, Thailand) Seven AM Processes
 Used as sealant, varnish, or primer  Developed by ASTM F42 – Additive Manufacturing group
from American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Cellulose  According to Standard Terminology for Additive
 Most common natural polymer Manufacturing Technologies
 Organic compound found in cell wall of plants
 For paper products, textiles, cellophane 1. Vat Photopolymerisation
2. Material Jetting
Advantageous Properties of Polymers 3. Binder Jetting
4. Material Extrusion
1. Reflectivity 5. Sheet Lamination
- Used in light-related technologies 6. Directed Energy Deposition
2. Impact Resistance
- Can withstand rough handling Applications of 3D Printing
- Perfect for luggage, protective cases, car bumpers
3. Brittleness  3D Printing for Renewable Energy
- Easy to deform using heat 1. Printing solar cells like printing T-shirts
4. Translucence 2. Building tiny motors that harvest sunlight
- See-through 3. Satellites 3-D printed in space will be able to beam
- Often used in arts and crafts power to Earth
- Polymer clay 4. Ability to 3D print objects using sand and sunlight
5. Ductility 5. Ability to power 3D printers with solar energy for
- Can be deformed without falling apart developing countires
- Gold, aluminum, steel 6. Printing solar—cell-leafed trees to harvest and store
6. Elasticity energy
- Ideal for car tiles, etc.
 3D Printing in the Medical Field
Common Examples of Polymers 1. Organs and skin
2. Stem cell
Polypropylene PP Carpet, upholstery 3. Bone and cartilage
Polyethylene 4. Surgical tools
LDPE Grocery bags 5. Cancer research
Low density
Polyethylene 6. Heart and blood vessels
HDPE Detergent bottles, toys
High density
Polyvinyl chloride PVC Piping, decking PLASTICS AND COMPOSITE MATERIALS:
Polystyrene PS Toys, foam FORMING AND SHAPING
PTFE Non-stick pans, electrical
Polytetrafluoroethylene Plastics
Teflon insulation
PMMA  Basic constituent: manufactured synthetically/semi-
Polymethyl synthetically from monomer
Lucite Face shields, skylights
methacrylate  Created by polymerization, polyaddition,
Plexiglas
Polyvinyl acetate PVAc Paints, adhesives polycondensation
Polychloroprene Neoprene Wetsuits  Raw material: cracked naphtha (distillation of crude oil
and natural gas)
 Properties can be varied by:
ADVANCEMENTS IN 3D PRINTING
o Raw materials
o Manufacturing process
3D Printing
o Modification using additives
 a.k.a. additive manufacturing (AM)
 Begins as pellets/granules/powder
 Processes used to synthesize a 3D object
 Successive layers of material are formed under computer
Classification of Plastics
control
 Objects produced using digital model data such as
1. Elastomers
Additive Manufacturing file (AMF)
- Wide-meshed cross linking
 Process that deposits binder material onto a power bed
- High dimensional stability and elastically malleable
with inkjet printer heads layer by layer
- Not meltable, elastic, low elastic modulus
- Ex.: tires, footwear, gasket, flooring, etc.
 2. Thermoset Plastics
- Closely-meshed crosslinking
- No longer shaped after hardening
- Not meltable, irreversible
- Good chemical resistance
- High thermal stability
- Hard and brittle
- Ex.: epoxy, polyester, urethane, phenolics, silicones
3. Thermoplastics
- Not crosslinked
- Plastic elastic behavior, thermoformable
- Meltable, weldable
- Regain original hardness and strength upon cooling
when melted
- Eg.: acrylic, cellulostics, nylon, polyethylines, PVC

Plastic Processes

1. Extrusion
2. Injection Molding
3. Blow Molding
4. Rotational Molding
5. Thermoforming
6. Compression Molding
7. Other Processes
- Transfer molding
- Casting
- Foam Molding

Composites
 Two or more chemically distinct and insoluble phases
 Properties and structural performance superior to those of
the constituents

Two Basic Types of Composites

1. Metal-matrix composites (MMC)

- Advantages
o Higher elastic modulus
o Higher toughness
o Higher ductility
o Higher resistance to elevated temp
- Disadvantages
o Higher density
o Greater difficulty processing parts

2. Ceramic matrix composites (CMC)

- High resistance to high temp and corrosive envi
- Strong and stiff
- Lack toughness