Effect of polymer melt flowability on printability of continuous carbon fiber prepreg filament
Ziguang Deng, Jieren Bai, Xiaolong Liu, Ying Yu, Yu Wang
Abstract. Prepreg filament (PPF) is used for continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite 3D printing. The printability of PPF is highly related to characteristics, such as uniformity of cross-sectional shape, surface smoothness, mechanical properties and melt flowability of the matrix, which are important to the stability of printing process and the quality of the printed parts. PPF with poor printability can lead to issues such as fiber damage, nozzle clogging, uneven distribution of fibers and matrix, and high porosity. The matrix rheology plays a critical role among various characteristics influencing its printability. Three experiments, manual pulling of PPF to simulate the printing process, single-layer printing, and multi-layer printing, were conducted to evaluate the printability of two kinds of PPF with different polymer flowability through analyzing the microstructure and the rheology behavior of the matrix. The results indicate that PPF with high flowability matrix leads to severe matrix-rich regions in the printing object, accompanied by fiber breakage, fuzzing and higher porosity within the interlayer. In contrast, PPF with low flowability matrix ensures a more uniform distribution of the matrix and fibers, resulting in improved printability. The directional flow of the resin and changes in the cross-sectional shape of the PPF during printing were analyzed to provide theoretical insight into the mechanisms behind poor printability.
Keywords
Composite 3D Printing, Prepreg Filament (PPF), Printability, Melt Flowability
Published online 5/7/2025, 9 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Ziguang Deng, Jieren Bai, Xiaolong Liu, Ying Yu, Yu Wang, Effect of polymer melt flowability on printability of continuous carbon fiber prepreg filament, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 54, pp 209-217, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-23
The article was published as article 23 of the book Material Forming
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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