Effect of SiC/Al₂O₃particle size reinforcement in recycled LDPE matrix on mechanical properties of FDM feed stock filament

Abstract

In this research work, an effort has been made to develop fused deposition modelling (FDM), feed stock filament wire from recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with different particle sizes (i.e. single particle size (SPS), double particle size (DPS) and triple particle size (TPS) in different proportions) of SiC/Al2O3 as reinforcement. After evaluation of melt flow index (MFI), the best combinations were selected and used for filament wire preparation on twin screw extruder. The results of the study highlight that Al2O3-based DPS reinforcement resulted in better mechanical properties of the feed stock filament. Finally, the non-functional prototypes have been printed with feed stock filament prepared on open-source FDM. The Al2O3-based DPS reinforcement in LDPE resulted in better dimensional stability with improved surface hardness. The results have been supported by SEM-based photomicrographs and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).