.jpg)
Tribological performance for durable 3D printed polymers
On August 15, Nayan Dhakal, PhD student in Machine Elements, held a mid-term seminar where he presented research results from his PhD project which is part of the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program GreenTRIBOS under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. The aim of the project is to promote sustainability and circular economy in polymer tribology through improved resource efficiency in material production, use and recycling.
Polymer-based materials are widely used as load-bearing components in various tribo-systems, from medicine and vehicles to the aerospace and energy sectors. In a global sustainability context, conventional manufacturing methods are often associated with negative environmental impacts due to their extended production cycles, lead times and labor-intensive processes, resulting in high energy and resource consumption and costs. Limitations in designing and processing complex geometries often lead to unexpected errors and increased material waste. Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has the potential to significantly improve current manufacturing capabilities with environmental and economic benefits. Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing is a growing industry with time- and cost-effective processing of polymers, enabling weight reduction, energy savings and minimization of associated emissions. Sustainability and feasibility in polymer 3D printing is highly dependent on the relationship between materials, processing parameters, part properties and part performance.
Therefore, this project started by identifying the main process parameters that affect the quality of 3D printed polymer components for tribological applications. The formation and distribution of internal porosity and surface topography as a result of the processing conditions have been investigated, along with their impact on part performance. Friction properties, wear mechanisms and surface topography variations of printed polymer components have been studied under different lubrication conditions. In-house 3D printed materials have shown satisfactory surface quality and mechanical properties, with comparable tribological performance to conventionally manufactured parts. The results suggest that 3D printing can be further explored as an alternative technology for sustainable manufacturing of high-performance thermoplastic components in tribological applications. The ultimate goal of this research project is to design and process in-house novel filaments and polymer composites with improved tribological performance.
Updated: