Effect of Porosity on Electrical Insulation and Heat Dissipation of Fused Deposition Modeling Parts Containing Embedded Wires

While the effects of porosity on the mechanical strength of fused deposition modeling (FDM) parts have been thoroughly investigated, there exists a need for evaluating electrical and thermal properties. This work describes the method of determining the effect of porosity that resembles 3D printed electronics. In addition to mechanical strength, determination of desirable limit of electrical insulation and heat dissipation will allow the additive manufacturing community to fabricate power electronics components with reduced cost and improved performance. For experimentation, three different sets of coupons were fabricated using Polycarbonate (PC) thermoplastic with embedded bare copper wire. Characterization included high electrical stresses and thermal testing to determine the effect of porosity on insulation and heat dissipation, respectively. During electrical characterization, higher wire density resulted in reduced breakdown strength. In thermal test, the comparisons between as fabricated and heat-treated specimen showed that heat dissipation increased by an average of 30 % to 40 %.