Research on Basic Properties of Polymers for Fused Deposition Modelling Technology

This study investigates the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of eight commercially available filaments tailored for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing. Test specimens were fabricated using original PRUSA MK4 printers, with ten samples from each selected polymer. Mechanical evaluations through static tensile and three-point bending tests revealed that PETG Carbon and PA+15CF exhibited superior tensile and flexural strengths, making them highly suitable for applications requiring high mechanical resilience. Biocompatibility assessments in line with the ISO 10993-5:2009 and ISO 10993-12:2021 standards indicated that all materials except FiberFlex 40D Fiberlogy were non-cytotoxic, supporting their potential in biomedical applications. The experimental data established material constants within the Johnson–Cook strength model, which effectively predicted the mechanical behaviors of monotonic materials like FiberFlex 40D, PETG, HIPS, TPU, and PA+15CF Rosa 3D, with maximum fitting errors not exceeding 2.6%. However, the model was inadequate for non-monotonic materials like PLA and PETG, resulting in higher errors and less accurate simulations. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses provided insights into fracture mechanisms, correlating fracture surface characteristics with mechanical performance. This comprehensive study advances the understanding of mechanical properties in thermoplastic materials for 3D printing, validates numerical models for certain materials, and confirms material suitability for biomedical use.