Determining the ideal FDM printing parameters to optimize thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of a novel PA6/Talc/CNT thermoplastic nanocomposite

This study focuses on the development of a novel Polyamide 6/Talc/Carbon Nanotube (PA6/Talc/CNT) thermoplastic nanocomposite manufactured via Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). The primary objective is to optimize the material’s Young’s modulus, impact strength, electrical conductivity, and thermal stability. To identify the optimum processing parameters (CNT content, talc content, nozzle temperature, and feed rate), the Taguchi method combined with grey relational analysis was employed. The resulting samples were then analyzed via SEM, TGA, DSC, and four-probe tests. Findings showed that a significant enhancement in electrical conductivity was specifically obtained in the nanocomposite containing 1 wt% CNTs and 4 wt% talc nanoparticles. Moreover, incorporating CNTs and talc into PA6 improved the thermal stability of the resulting nanocomposites. According to the Taguchi analysis, the CNT and talc content exerted a greater influence on Young’s modulus and impact strength than the other process parameters. Grey relational grade optimization revealed that the optimal parameters to enhance these mechanical properties are a talc content of 4 wt%, a CNT content of 1 wt%, a nozzle temperature of 270°C, and a feed rate of 30 mm/s.