Investigations of the Mechanical Properties of DLP 3D Printed Graphene/Resin Composites

Abstract

printing is an astonishing technology that has enabled the manufacturing of complex structures, with comparatively shorter times and the least material consumption. Currently, Graphene is gaining remarkable attention, as a filler material, used for the reinforcement of metal and polymer composites. In this paper, the 3D printing system, based on the digital light processing (DLP) method, is employed for the fabrication of bio-based resin specimens, to estimate their dynamic mechanical properties. For this purpose, two graphene concentrations (0.5 and 1 wt%) were mixed in resin (matrix) by a vortex mixer/shaker. The resultant mixture, in addition to the neat resin, was utilized for producing the test pieces, at three different layer thicknesses (35, 50, 100 m). A comparison of the mechanical properties, between the DLP-printed neat resin and graphene/resin composite materials, was accomplished, to illustrate the impact of filler (graphene nanoplatelets) and the printing process settings (layer thickness). These determinants were assessed according to the microstructure and tensile characteristics of the examined materials. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed a fairly even dispersion of graphene in the resin matrix. Moreover, it was found that smaller layer thicknesses provide a higher tensile strength. Further, a decrease in Young's modulus, tensile strength and elongation can be observed, with higher graphene concentrations.