Hybrid Bicomponent Fibres for 3D Printing

Hybrid bicomponent fibers are a novel type of intermediate material for the production of thermoplastic polymer composites with continuous fiber reinforcement. Such intermediate materials consist of reinforcing fibers which are individually coated with a thermoplastic polymer sheath. Upon the application of heat and pressure, these sheaths melt, join together and the remaining air between the fibers is pushed out. Once this is completed, the material can be cooled below solidus temperature, resulting in a composite part. State-of-the-art additive manufacturing technology exploits these properties to 3D print composites by processing similar hybrid precursor materials. This project will assess how using hybrid bicomponent fibers as a precursor for 3D printing can benefit the material throughput of this technology and compare the measured performance to a state-of-the-art printing system. It is expected that the use of hybrid bicomponent fibers will increase the quality of the printed material in terms of void content as well as the line speed at which this material can be printed.

Faculty Supervisor:

Joanna Wong

Student:

Partner:

ETH Zurich

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary

Program: