Mechanical properties of multi jet fusion printed aramid fibre/polyamide 12 composites

Abstract

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) is a new Additive Manufacturing technology introduced by the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Development Company in 2016. Despite the benefits of MJF over other Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) processes, the technology is not widely adopted due to the limited selection of commercially available powders, in particular polymer composite powders. Aramid fibre-reinforced polyamide 12 (AF/PA 12) is a potential polymer composite powder for MJF. In this project, the effects of print parameters and build orientation on the mechanical properties of AF/PA 12 polymer composites were investigated. The results derived from the experiments conducted in project indicated that both the print parameters and build orientation affects the mechanical properties of AF/PA 12 polymer composites. The highest ultimate tensile strength and tensile modulus achieved in this project were from MJF-printed AF/PA 12 polymer composite coupons printed in the direction of fibre alignment, which indicates mechanical anisotropy. The ultimate tensile strength and tensile modulus were 42.7% and 48.8 % higher than that of the HP 3D High Reusability PA 12 respectively. Thus, AF/PA 12 is a polymer composite powder that could be considered for MJF.