Thermal effects on bead morphology in fused filament fabrication: A numerical approach to recycled PLA deposition
Mario Emanuele DI NARDO, Francesco NAPOLITANO, João DIAS-DE-OLIVEIRA, Tiago SILVA, Pietro RUSSO, Pierpaolo CARLONE
Abstract. This study investigates the behavior of recycled PLA during extrusion and deposition processes through numerical simulations and experimental analysis using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The thermal analysis characterized key material properties, such as glass transition and melting temperatures, which are critical for optimizing numerical model parameters. The simulation, conducted in a two-dimensional domain using the finite volume method, analyzed the viscous flow of semi-liquid PLA, highlighting cooling effects and viscosity variations. The results demonstrated a stable and uniform deposition process, with a sharp interface between PLA and air and controlled solidification on the substrate. The Cross-WLF viscosity model accurately described the material’s behavior, capturing shear-thinning phenomena and temperature dependency. These findings contribute to the understanding of recycled PLA’s performance in additive manufacturing processes, providing insights into optimizing its thermal and flow properties for material extrusion process applications.
Keywords
Additive Manufacturing, MEX, Process Simulation, Finite Volume Method, Filament Morphology, Solidification
Published online 5/7/2025, 10 pages
Copyright © 2025 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Mario Emanuele DI NARDO, Francesco NAPOLITANO, João DIAS-DE-OLIVEIRA, Tiago SILVA, Pietro RUSSO, Pierpaolo CARLONE, Thermal effects on bead morphology in fused filament fabrication: A numerical approach to recycled PLA deposition, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 54, pp 2381-2390, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644903599-257
The article was published as article 257 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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