Thermal Analysis of 3D Printed Continuous Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Polymers for Automotive Applications

Continuous fiber reinforced additive manufacturing (CFRAM) is a five-year old manufacturing technology with a wide range of potential applications. CFRAM benefits from the advantages of Fused Filament Fabrication as fast and low cost production of complicated structures, while fiber reinforcement improves thermomechanical properties. CFRAM provides wide range of potential applications in auto industry, aerospace, sport goods and medical tools to replace metals and conventional composites with CFRAM parts. The notable attention toward CFRAM technology justifies the need for investigation of thermomechanical properties of printed components. In this study, CFRAM components were manufactured using Markforged 3D-printer. Nylon was used as thermoplastic polymer matrix and carbon fiber (CF), fiber glass (FG), and Kevlar as reinforcing agents. Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), and Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) measurements were conducted to investigate thermomechanical properties. The results of this study will be a milestone for applications of CFRAM components for automotive industry.