Investigation of the mechanical properties of polyimide fiber/polyamide 12 composites printed by multi jet fusion

• Main Authors: Chen, Mei, Hou, Yanbei, An, Ran, Tey, Wei Shian, Gao, Ming, Chen, Jiayao, Zhao, Lihua, Zhou, Kun
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering; Multi Jet Fusion; Polyamide12
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/171155
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) has attracted extensive attention because of its ability to print support-free complex structures. However, the mechanical properties of MJF-printed polymer parts are still unsatisfactory for certain industrial requirements. Herein, by leveraging the fibre reinforcement effect and high specific strength of polyimide (PI) fibres, this work developed PI/polyamide 12 (PA12) composites with largely enhanced mechanical performance via MJF. Specifically, the tensile strength and modulus were increased by 43% and 42%, and the flexural strength and modulus were improved by 39% and 46%, respectively, compared to those of the neat PA12 parts. Furthermore, the incorporation of lightweight PI fibres endowed the composites with high specific tensile strength (67.60 kN·m/kg) and specific flexural strength (93.70 kN·m/kg), which are superior to those of MJF-printed PA12 composites reinforced with other fibres. This work provides new insights into enhancing the mechanical performance of lightweight parts printed by MJF and other powder-based techniques.