scholarly journals Polylactic acid as a suitable material for 3D printing of protective masks in times of COVID-19 pandemic

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10259
Author(s):  
Eva Vaňková ◽  
Petra Kašparová ◽  
Josef Khun ◽  
Anna Machková ◽  
Jaroslav Julák ◽  
...  

A critical lack of personal protective equipment has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Polylactic acid (PLA), a polyester made from renewable natural resources, can be exploited for 3D printing of protective face masks using the Fused Deposition Modelling technique. Since the possible high porosity of this material raised questions regarding its suitability for protection against viruses, we have investigated its microstructure using scanning electron microscopy and aerosol generator and photometer certified as the test system according to the standards EN 143 and EN 149. Moreover, the efficiency of decontaminating PLA surfaces by conventional chemical disinfectants including 96% ethanol, 70% isopropanol, and a commercial disinfectant containing 0.85% sodium hypochlorite has been determined. We confirmed that the structure of PLA protective masks is compact and can be considered a sufficient barrier protection against particles of a size corresponding to microorganisms including viruses. Complete decontamination of PLA surfaces from externally applied Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and SARS-CoV-2 was achieved using all disinfectants tested, and human adenovirus was completely inactivated by sodium hypochlorite-containing disinfectant. Natural contamination of PLA masks worn by test persons was decontaminated easily and efficiently by ethanol. No disinfectant caused major changes to the PLA surface properties, and the pore size did not change despite severe mechanical damage of the surface. Therefore, PLA may be regarded as a suitable material for 3D printing of protective masks during the current or future pandemic crises.

2018 ◽  
Vol 157 ◽  
pp. 06001
Author(s):  
Juraj Beniak ◽  
Peter Križan ◽  
Miloš Matúš ◽  
Michal Šajgalík

In the present time there are many different plastic materials and composite materials suitable for 3D printing by deposition of semi-melted material. The proper selection of correct material with suitable material properties is dependent on the situation how the produced 3D model should be used. If we need to take into account just the visual look of used material or also the mechanical properties as strength is important for loaded models for final use. The aim of this paper is to publish outputs of experimental testing for 3D models from selected materials with regards to mechanical properties of produced testing parts. Produced 3D models are from PLA biodegradable thermoplastic. Models are prepared on Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printer. Testing is based on prepared full factors experiment with four factors on its two levels. Measured values are Tensile strength of PLA testing 3D models. In the same time there are gathered information regarding the 3D printing process and compared to measured tensile strength values for each sent of testing parts. All the measured data are statistically evaluated also by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA method).


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 155892502092853
Author(s):  
Nonsikelelo Sheron Mpofu ◽  
Josphat Igadwa Mwasiagi ◽  
Londiwe Cynthia Nkiwane ◽  
David Njuguna Githinji

Textile materials have been combined with polymers using 3D printing technology, thus producing structures with novel properties. The aim of this study was to use statistical methods to determine the effect of 3D printing machine parameters on the mechanical properties of cotton fabrics combined with polylactic acid. Polylactic acid was printed on a cotton fabric using an Athena Fused Deposition Modelling 3D printer. The effect of extrusion temperature, printing speed, fill density and model height on adhesion force before and after washing was investigated. A study of the tensile strength was also undertaken using a central composite rotatable design and regression analysis. The experimental data were used to develop regression models to predict the properties of the cotton/ polylactic acid structures. The model for adhesion force before washing yielded a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.75 and an optimum adhesion force of 50.06 N/cm. The model for adhesion force had an R2 value of 0.84 and an optimum adhesion force of 42.91 N/cm and showed that adhesion force reduced after washing. Adhesion forces before and after washing were both positively correlated to extrusion temperature. However, they reduced with an increase in printing speed and model height. A positive correlation exists between tensile strength and temperature, while a negative correlation exists between tensile strength and printing speed and model height. From the results of this study, it was concluded that 3D printing parameters have an effect on the properties of the structures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 762-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joko Triyono ◽  
Heru Sukanto ◽  
Rizki Mica Saputra ◽  
Dharu Feby Smaradhana

AbstractNozzle hole diameter of 3D printer (3DP) can be varied to obtain required product quality as well as to reduce manufacturing times. The use of larger diameter may accelerate manufacturing times of products, yet the product quality, including the mechanical properties, still needs to be investigated profoundly. The purpose of this work is to investigate experimentally the effect of nozzle hole diameter of 3DP to the surface quality, accuracy, and the strength of the product. The specimens were manufactured by fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D printing using polylactic acid (PLA) as the filaments.Bed temperature, extruder temperature and printing speed were set to be 60∘C, 200∘C and 80 mm/s respectively. The thickness of each layer was set at the ratio of 20% to the nozzle hole diameter. Infill pattern was determined by using line type of 100%. Nozzle hole diameter of 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6mmwas compared in thiswork. The results show that bigger nozzle hole diameter enhanced the density and tensile strength of the products thought it was not linearly correlation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-78
Author(s):  
Pulkin Gupta ◽  
Sudha Kumari ◽  
Abhishek Gupta ◽  
Ankit Kumar Sinha ◽  
Prashant Jindal

Abstract Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is a layer-by-layer manufacturing process type of 3D-printing (3DP). Significant variation in the mechanical properties of 3D printed specimens is observed because of varied process parameters and interfacial bonding between consecutive layers. This study investigates the influence of heat treatment on the mechanical strength of FDM 3D printed Polylactic acid (PLA) parts with constant 3DP parameters and ambient conditions. To meet the objectives, 7 sets, each containing 5 dog-bone shaped samples, were fabricated from commercially available PLA filament. Each set was subjected to heat treatment at a particular temperature for 1 h and cooled in the furnace itself, while one set was left un-treated. The temperature for heat treatment (Th) varied from 30 °C to 130 °C with increments of 10 °C. The heat-treated samples were characterized under tensile loading of 400 N and mechanical properties like Young’s modulus (E), Strain % ( ε ) and Stiffness (k) were evaluated. On comparing the mechanical properties of heat-treated samples to un-treated samples, significant improvements were observed. Heat treatment also altered the geometries of the samples. Mechanical properties improved by 4.88 % to 10.26 % with the maximum being at Th of 110 °C and below recrystallization temperature (Tr) of 65 °C. Deformations also decreased significantly at higher temperatures above 100 °C, by a maximum of 36.06 %. The dimensions of samples showed a maximum decrease of 1.08 % in Tr range and a maximum decrease of 0.31 % in weight at the same temperature. This study aims to benefit the society by establishing suitable Th to recover the lost strength in PLA based FDM 3D printed parts.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deck Tan ◽  
Mohammed Maniruzzaman ◽  
Ali Nokhodchi

Three-dimensional printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a fabrication process whereby a 3D object is created layer-by-layer by depositing a feedstock material such as thermoplastic polymer. The 3D printing technology has been widely used for rapid prototyping and its interest as a fabrication method has grown significantly across many disciplines. The most common 3D printing technology is called the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) which utilises thermoplastic filaments as a starting material, then extrudes the material in sequential layers above its melting temperature to create a 3D object. These filaments can be fabricated using the Hot-Melt Extrusion (HME) technology. The advantage of using HME to manufacture polymer filaments for FDM printing is that a homogenous solid dispersion of two or more pharmaceutical excipients i.e., polymers can be made and a thermostable drug can even be introduced in the filament composition, which is otherwise impractical with any other techniques. By introducing HME techniques for 3D printing filament development can improve the bioavailability and solubility of drugs as well as sustain the drug release for a prolonged period of time. The latter is of particular interest when medical implants are considered via 3D printing. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in implementing a continuous manufacturing method on pharmaceutical products development and manufacture, in order to ensure high quality and efficacy with less batch-to-batch variations of the pharmaceutical products. The HME and FDM technology can be combined into one integrated continuous processing platform. This article reviews the working principle of Hot Melt Extrusion and Fused Deposition Modelling, and how these two technologies can be combined for the use of advanced pharmaceutical applications.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1524
Author(s):  
Sadikalmahdi Abdella ◽  
Souha H. Youssef ◽  
Franklin Afinjuomo ◽  
Yunmei Song ◽  
Paris Fouladian ◽  
...  

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is among the rapidly evolving technologies with applications in many sectors. The pharmaceutical industry is no exception, and the approval of the first 3D-printed tablet (Spiratam®) marked a revolution in the field. Several studies reported the fabrication of different dosage forms using a range of 3D printing techniques. Thermosensitive drugs compose a considerable segment of available medications in the market requiring strict temperature control during processing to ensure their efficacy and safety. Heating involved in some of the 3D printing technologies raises concerns regarding the feasibility of the techniques for printing thermolabile drugs. Studies reported that semi-solid extrusion (SSE) is the commonly used printing technique to fabricate thermosensitive drugs. Digital light processing (DLP), binder jetting (BJ), and stereolithography (SLA) can also be used for the fabrication of thermosensitive drugs as they do not involve heating elements. Nonetheless, degradation of some drugs by light source used in the techniques was reported. Interestingly, fused deposition modelling (FDM) coupled with filling techniques offered protection against thermal degradation. Concepts such as selection of low melting point polymers, adjustment of printing parameters, and coupling of more than one printing technique were exploited in printing thermosensitive drugs. This systematic review presents challenges, 3DP procedures, and future directions of 3D printing of thermo-sensitive formulations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Rupp ◽  
Wolfgang H. Binder

Additive manufacturing has significantly changed polymer science and technology by engineering complex material shapes and compositions. With the advent of dynamic properties in polymeric materials as a fundamental principle to achieve, e.g., self-healing properties, the use of supramolecular chemistry as a tool for molecular ordering has become important. By adjusting molecular nanoscopic (supramolecular) bonds in polymers, rheological properties, immanent for 3D printing, can be adjusted, resulting in shape persistence and improved printing. We here review recent progress in the 3D printing of supramolecular polymers, with a focus on fused deposition modelling (FDM) to overcome some of its limitations still being present up to date and open perspectives for their application.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 465-474
Author(s):  
Martin Krčma ◽  
David Škaroupka ◽  
Petr Vosynek ◽  
Tomáš Zikmund ◽  
Jozef Kaiser ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to focus on the evaluation of a polymer concrete as a three-dimensional (3D) printing material. An associated company has developed plastic concrete made from reused unrecyclable plastic waste. Its intended use is as a construction material. Design/methodology/approach The concrete mix, called PolyBet, composed of polypropylene and glass sand, is printed by the fused deposition modelling process. The process of material and parameter selection is described. The mechanical properties of the filled material were compared to its cast state. Samples were made from castings and two different orientations of 3D-printed parts. Three-point flex tests were carried out, and the area of the break was examined. Computed tomography of the samples was carried out. Findings The influence of the 3D printing process on the material was evaluated. The mechanical performance of the longitudinal samples was close to the cast state. There was a difference in the failure mode between the states, with cast parts exhibiting a tougher behaviour, with fractures propagating in a stair-like manner. The 3D-printed samples exhibited high degrees of porosity. Originality/value The results suggest that the novel material is a good fit for 3D printing, with little to no degradation caused by the process. Layer adhesion was shown to be excellent, with negligible effect on the finished part for the longitudinal orientation. That means, if large-scale testing of buildability is successful, the material is a good fit for additive manufacturing of building components and other large-scale structures.


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