Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-v5vhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-16T05:57:47.917Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Optical and mechanical testing of 3D printed parts made of high-viscosity silicone to identify process parameters and design advice for 3D printing and printer development

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 May 2024

Joel Schön
Affiliation:
Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Germany
Robin Löffler*
Affiliation:
Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Germany
Michael Koch
Affiliation:
Technische Hochschule Nürnberg Georg Simon Ohm, Germany

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The additive manufacturing of parts made from close-to-production materials poses a great challenge. One example are highly viscous silicones, as used in injection moulding. For small production quantities, the manufacturing of injection moulds is uneconomical. This paper presents tensile specimens printed with an in-house developed dispensing system, which are analysed for air cavities (micro-CT scans) and mechanical properties. Based on the results, advice for the design and slicing parameters of parts using high-viscosity silicones in AM by means of material extrusion are developed.

Type
Design for Additive Manufacturing
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2024.

References

Agarwala, M.K., Jamalabad, V.R., Langrana, N.A., Safari, A., Whalen, P.J., et al. . (1996), “Structural quality of parts processed by fused deposition”, Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 2 No. 4, pp. 419. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552549610732034CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gibson, I., Rosen, D. and Stucker, B. (2015), Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Springer New York, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2113-3CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leineweber, S., Reitz, B., Overmeyer, L., Sundermann, L., Klie, B. and Giese, U. (2022), Additive Manufacturing and Vulcanization of Natural and Synthetic Rubbers. Logistics Journal: Proceedings, Vol. 2022., Iss. 18 https://doi.org/10.2195/lj_proc_leineweber_de_202211_01Google Scholar
Liravi, F., Darleux, R. and Toyserkani, E. (2015), “Nozzle dispensing additive manufacturing of polysiloxane: dimensional control”, International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing, Vol. 5 No. 1, p. 20. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJRAPIDM.2015.073546CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liravi, F. and Toyserkani, E. (2018), “Additive manufacturing of silicone structures: A review and prospective”, Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 24, p. 232-242. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2018.10.002CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liu, W., Peeke, L.M., Periyasamy, M., Campbell, R.R. and Hickner, M.A. (2023), “Additive manufacturing of silicone composite structures with continuous carbon fiber reinforcement”, Polymer Engineering & Science, Vol. 63 No. 6, pp. 17161724. https://doi.org/10.1002/pen.26318CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luis, E., Pan, H.M., Sing, S.L., Bajpai, R., Song, J., et al. . (2020), “3D Direct Printing of Silicone Meniscus Implant Using a Novel Heat-Cured Extrusion-Based Printer”, Polymers, Vol. 12 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym12051031CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, S., Gugel, L., Martin, T., Preis, A., Reitelshöfer, S., et al. . (2021), “Cost-efficient, true silicone printer with variable material spectrum for individualized medical applications”, Procedia CIRP, Vol. 104, pp. 435439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procir.2021.11.073CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Plott, J. and Shih, A. (2017), “The extrusion-based additive manufacturing of moisture-cured silicone elastomer with minimal void for pneumatic actuators”, Additive Manufacturing, Vol. 17, pp. 114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2017.06.009CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chemie AG, Wacker (2022), ELASTOSIL® LR 3003/50 A/B Datasheet. [online] Wacker Chemie AG. Available at: https://www.wacker.com/h/de-gb/medias/ELASTOSIL-LR-300350-AB-en-2022.06.17.pdf (accessed 06.10.2023).Google Scholar