Strengthening the mechanical properties of 3D printed thermoplastic elastomer by blending with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, polypropylene and polyethylene

Abstract Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPEs) are a new generation of engineering polymers with many applications, but their use in the emerging 3D printing technology remains incomplete. Inadequate strength and printing problems (buckling during the transfer of the filament into the thermal chamber and nozzle) are the main obstacles. In this paper, an attempt has been made to address these challenges simultaneously by using polymer blending and changing the printing mechanism. Polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) were used to enhance the mechanical properties of Polyolefin elastomer (POE), and the granule-based FDM method, in which granule is the input material, was used for printing POE-blends. Additionally, morphology, printability, and dynamic thermomechanical analysis were examined. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images and Dynamic mechanical thermal analysis demonstrated that PE and PP have a single-phase composition, POE-ABS morphology indicated immiscibility (two phase morphology). The results of the mechanical properties via tensile test showed an increase in strength when each of these thermoplastics is blended with POE, which can be justified due to the higher strength of these materials compared to pure POE. The highest tensile strength of 10.91 MPa and 3166% elongation were obtained for POE-PE. This diversity in morphology and mechanical properties is one of the goals of this research which is well fulfilled, and these materials can be added to the library of 3D printing materials for industrial applications.