Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Publication
    Effect of zinc oxide suspension on the overall filler content of the PLA/ZnO composites and cPLA/ZnO composites
    ( 2023-01-01)
    Tan M.A.
    ;
    ;
    Teh P.L.
    ;
    ;
    Song C.C.
    ;
    This work aimed to study the effect of zinc oxide (ZnO) filler suspension on the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of polylactic acid (PLA)/ZnO and cPLA/ZnO. Fused deposition modelling, one of the additive manufacturing methods, was used to fabricate the PLA specimen. PLA was used as the main material in this project, and the ZnO suspension was added during the printing process. The speed of the dispenser (low speed = 1,000 rpm, medium speed = 1,400 rpm, and high speed = 1,800 rpm) was the parameter that was varied to control the filler content of the composite. All the samples underwent a tensile test to determine the mechanical properties, followed by the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test to analyse the fracture surface properties of the tensile test. SEM observations showed the PLA samples' inherent smooth appearance, but the PLA/ZnO composite showed a rougher surface. PLA and cPLA composites showed an enhanced storage modulus but lower loss modulus than the pure samples. Because of the high thermal and electrical conductivity of carbon black and ZnO, cPLA composites had higher electrical and thermal conductivity than PLA composites.
  • Publication
    Effect of infill density with ZnO concentration on the mechanical properties of 3D printed PLA/ZnO composites
    (American Institute of Physics Inc., 2022-05-18)
    Tan M.A.
    ;
    ; ; ;
    Song C.C.
    ;
    Mansor N.S.S.
    ;
    Lim J.H.
    Polylactic acid (PLA) plastics are biodegradable materials manufactured from PLA resin by melt spinning and solvent spinning methods. PLA is widely applied in textile fabric, non-woven, masks and sanitary napkins applications due to excellent safety, environmental protection and good mechanical properties. The process of 3D printing is continuous and able to produce complex three-dimensional structures. PLA/ZnO composite samples were fabricated by a 3D printer. ZnO acts as filler in PLA/ZnO composites to obtain the excellent properties like specific tensile properties and density. However, ZnO agglomeration occurred at higher concentration when viewed via SEM. Printing parameters such as infill density, raster orientation and infill pattern can influence the mechanical properties of 3D samples as well. The objective of this paper is to determine the effect of infill density with different ZnO concentration on the mechanical properties of 3D printed PLA/ZnO composites. Tensile and density measurement were carried out to determine the mechanical properties of composites. The influence of 80%, 90%, 100% infill rate and ZnO concentration varied by 1 and 5 mol. As a result, higher infill rate (100%) and optimum filler concentration (1 mol ZnO) give the excellent properties thus can be used for future applications.
      2  4
  • Publication
    Effect of combination printing parameter (infill density and raster angle) on the mechanical and electrical properties of 3D printed PLA/ZnO and cPLA/ZnO composites
    ( 2022-04-01)
    Tan M.A.
    ;
    Yeoh C.K.
    ;
    Teh P.L.
    ;
    ;
    Song C.C.
    ;
    Mansor N.S.S.
    3D printed polylactic acid (PLA) composites reinforced with zinc oxide (ZnO) were successfully fabricated by attaching a ZnO dispenser beside a MendelMax RepRap Printer. Mechanical and electrical testings were performed to characterize the properties of PLA/ZnO and cPLA/ZnO composites. PLA polymer filament is a biodegradable material with the same strength and modulus as other plastic materials. This work emphasizes the effects of printing parameters (infill density and raster angle) on the mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of PLA/ZnO composites. The combination of 100% infill density and 0° raster angle resulted in a substantial increase in the tensile strength and Young's modulus, but reduction in break elongation. As the infill density increased and shifted from 90° to 0° raster angle, the storage modulus was enhanced but the damping factor declined. Scanning electron microscope images proved ZnO was dispersed in the PLA matrix. Optical measurements showed a large air gap across the 35% compared to the 100% infill density. Conductive PLA composites (cPLA/ZnO) enhanced electrical conductivity when increasing infill density compared to PLA composites. Therefore, optimizing printing parameters could help manufacturers provide superior quality structure and cPLA composites for electrical and electronic applications due to good electrical conductivity.
      23  2