Page 46 - MSAM-3-1

Materials Science in

Additive Manufacturing

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Enhancing interlaminar adhesion in

multi-material 3D printing: A study of
conductive PLA and TPU interfaces through

fused filament fabrication

Guo Liang Goh , Samuel Lee , Shi Hui Cheng , Daniel Jee Seng Goh ,
1,2
1
1
1
1,2
3
Pothunuri Laya , Van Pho Nguyen , Boon Siew Han , and Wai Yee Yeong *
2
1,3
1 School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2 Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore
3 Schaeffler Hub for Advanced Research, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Abstract
In the rapidly expanding field of additive manufacturing, multi-material fused
filament fabrication represents a frontier with vast potential for creating composite
structures that blend the benefits of different material properties. Interlaminar
adhesion between dissimilar materials remains a challenge for the realization of
multifunctional structure for practical use. This study investigates the interlaminar
*Corresponding author: adhesion between conductive polylactic acid and thermoplastic polyurethane,
Wai Yee Yeong materials representative of rigid and flexible characteristics, respectively. We present
(wyyeong@ntu.edu.sg) a comparative analysis of two adhesion enhancement approaches: the incorporation
Citation: Goh GL, Lee S, of mechanical interlocking features and the modification of surface roughness
Cheng SH, et al. Enhancing at the interface. Through tensile testing, we evaluate the effectiveness of these
interlaminar adhesion in multi- methods against a benchmark coupon with unmodified interface. Micro-computed
material 3D printing: A study
of conductive PLA and TPU tomography analysis, surface morphology analysis, and mechanical performance
interfaces through fused filament assessments elucidate the failure modes and provide insights into the interfacial
fabrication. Mater Sci Add Manuf. behavior of these interface designs. We found that the interface design with top
2024;3(1):2672.
doi: 10.36922/msam.2672 infill modification showed the highest interlaminar adhesion strength, with an
improvement of at least 25% compared to the benchmark coupon. Our findings aim
Received: January 8, 2024
to inform the design and manufacturing practices in multi-material 3D printing and
Accepted: February 2, 2024 to open new avenues for the development of multifunctional, composite 3D-printed
Published Online: February 27, 2024 systems.
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article Keywords: 3D printing; Additive manufacturing; Multi-material; Polymer; Composite
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution material; Adhesion; Interface
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with The advent of additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, has transformed
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional the landscape of material science and engineering, propelling the innovation of
affiliations. new applications across a diverse range of industries such as printed electronics,

Volume 3 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/msam.2672