Fabrication of polypropylene and its composites via selective laser sintering and molding processes

• Main Author: Mohammad Ramadan Jumali
• Other Authors: Zhou Kun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/78748
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Additive manufacturing technique consist of many different processes such as powder bed fusion. Such processes are capable to fabricate functional three-dimensional parts. Selective Laser Sintering is a type of powder bed fusion and is made commercially available to the public. With that this research aims to planned out the right Carbon Fiber to Polypropylene composite ratio that can meet the design requirements of the automobile industry. Compression Molding and Injection Molding is considered in this research to form a basis on the mechanical and morphological properties of the composites when fabricated with the two methods. The molding processes were also considered to determine the perfect ratio of Carbon Fiber to Polypropylene. This research paves way for a better understanding and determining the process parameters for Selective Laser Sintering process when the perfect ratio of Carbon Fiber and Polypropylene is determined. Firstly, pure Polypropylene samples were fabricated by the traditional Compression Molding and Injection Molding methods and tested to determine the mechanical properties of Polypropylene under the two methods. Next the composites compromising of different ratio of Carbon Fiber and Polypropylene were fabricated and tested to see if the mechanical properties changes and determine the effect of the different Carbon Fiber length have on the morphological properties. Lastly, fabrication of Polypropylene through Selective Laser Sintering is done to determine and optimize the parameters for the Selective Laser Sintering process. The optimized parameters can be applied once the ideal ratio of Carbon Fiber and Polypropylene is determined. The findings in this research can aid in the production of composite materials that can be use in the automobile industry or even commercially. The findings will also reinstate if Selective Laser Sintering can replace the traditional molding processes such as compression molding and injection molding.