3D-Printed PLA Molds for Natural Composites: Mechanical Properties of Green Wax-Based Composites
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Experimental Section
2.1. 3D-Printing Molds for Green Composite Development
- (a)
- Beeswax (Ca) and ground horsetail (Cc)—a total of 14 composite materials were obtained. Percent of ground horsetail between 0 and 39.4%.
- (b)
- Beeswax (Ca) and recycled paper (Hr)—a total of 18 composite materials were obtained. Percent of recycled paper was between 0 and 46%.
- (c)
- Beeswax (Ca) and ground rice (Or)—a total of 10 composite materials were obtained. Percent of ground rice was between 0 and 86.5%.
- (d)
- Beeswax (Ca) and ground fir needles (Abr)—a total of 10 composite materials were obtained. Percent of ground fir was between 0 and 86.5%.
- Recyclable paper 100% denoted as S1 (as base for comparison with new composites)
- Beeswax (50%) + fir resin (50%) denoted as S2
- Beeswax (62.5%) + horsetail (37.5%) denoted as S3
- Beeswax (55.56%) + recycled paper (44.44%) denoted as S4
- Beeswax (45.5%) + milled rice (54.5%) denoted as S5
- Beeswax (61.5%) + milled fir needles (38.5%) denoted as S6
- Beeswax (31.25%) + fir resin (31.25%) + horsetail (37.5%) denoted as S7
- Beeswax (27.78%) + fir resin (27.78%) + recycled paper (44.44%) denoted as S8
2.2. Materials and Green Composite Preparation
2.2.1. Materials
2.2.2. Obtaining Composites
- (1)
- The base natural materials (beeswax and/or fir resin) were melted at a temperature of approximately 80–100 °C.
- (2)
- The reinforcing natural filler powders (fir needles, rice, Equisetum arvense) were added in the proportions specified above.
- (3)
- The natural material blend was mixed thoroughly.
- (4)
- The blend was poured into silicone rubber molds, as shown in Figure 1, over the recyclable paper.
2.3. Characterization Techniques
2.3.1. Mechanical Tests
2.3.2. Surface Morphology Analysis
2.3.3. Optical Microscope
3. Results and Disscusion
3.1. Mechanical Tests
3.2. Light Microscopy
3.3. Surface Morphlogy and Internal Structure
4. Conclusions
- This paper presents the steps involved in obtaining 3D-printed PLA molds for natural composites made of recyclable paper, beeswax, fir resin, needles, rice, and Equisetum arvense, and it assesses the mechanical properties of the green composites;
- The highest impact strengths, provided mainly by fir resin and cellulose, were attributed to the samples with beeswax and fir needles S6 and beeswax fir resin and recyclable paper S8, 19.42 and 19.32 kJ/m2, respectively, while the highest compressive strength was 4 MPa for the S3 sample. The rice fibers positively influenced the maximum bending for the S5 sample;
- The superiority of the green composites’ mechanical properties was proved, considering the core materials for the final green products over similar commercial products from the automotive sector;
- The green composites exhibited over 60% higher mechanical properties compared to similar products from the market used as sound-absorbing core materials in the automotive industry;
- The physico-mechanical properties were directly influenced by the wetting degree of the powders for the beeswax and the fir resin and through the interaction between the complementary chemical groups from the fillers and the matrices (possibly silicates, phenolic carboxylic acids, resinic acids, and so on);
- Further research is ongoing to determine the thermal and sound-absorbing properties of these composites, as well as finding new solutions to enhance their physical–mechanical properties. One possible solution is combining the benefits of eco-friendly filament printing, such as polylactic acid, with the sound-absorbing properties of these new materials.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Mechanical Property/Commercial Automotive Sample/Green Composites | Impact Strength [kJ/m2] | Compressive Strength [MPa] | Bending Force [N] |
---|---|---|---|
11.41 | <1 | <3 | |
13.26 | <1 | <3 | |
Green composites’ mechanical properties | |||
19.42 | 4.60 | 18.20 |
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Pop, M.A.; Cosnita, M.; Croitoru, C.; Zaharia, S.M.; Matei, S.; Spîrchez, C. 3D-Printed PLA Molds for Natural Composites: Mechanical Properties of Green Wax-Based Composites. Polymers 2023, 15, 2487. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112487
Pop MA, Cosnita M, Croitoru C, Zaharia SM, Matei S, Spîrchez C. 3D-Printed PLA Molds for Natural Composites: Mechanical Properties of Green Wax-Based Composites. Polymers. 2023; 15(11):2487. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112487
Chicago/Turabian StylePop, Mihai Alin, Mihaela Cosnita, Cătălin Croitoru, Sebastian Marian Zaharia, Simona Matei, and Cosmin Spîrchez. 2023. "3D-Printed PLA Molds for Natural Composites: Mechanical Properties of Green Wax-Based Composites" Polymers 15, no. 11: 2487. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112487
APA StylePop, M. A., Cosnita, M., Croitoru, C., Zaharia, S. M., Matei, S., & Spîrchez, C. (2023). 3D-Printed PLA Molds for Natural Composites: Mechanical Properties of Green Wax-Based Composites. Polymers, 15(11), 2487. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15112487