A Comprehensive Investigation on 3D Printing of Polyamide 11 and Thermoplastic Polyurethane via Multi Jet Fusion

Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) is a recently developed polymeric powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing technique that has received considerable attention in the industrial and scientific community due to its ability to fabricate functional and complex polymeric parts efficiently. In this work, a systematic characterization of the physicochemical properties of MJF-certified polyamide 11 (PA11) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) powder was conducted. The mechanical performance and print quality of the specimens printed using both powders were then evaluated. Both PA11 and TPU powders showed irregular morphology with sharp features and had broad particle size distribution, but such features did not impair their printability significantly. According to the DSC scans, the PA11 specimen exhibited two endothermic peaks, while the TPU specimen exhibited a broad endothermic peak (116–150 °C). The PA11 specimens possessed the highest tensile strength in the Z orientation, as opposed to the TPU specimens which possessed the lowest tensile strength along the same orientation. The flexural properties of the PA11 and TPU specimens displayed a similar anisotropy where the flexural strength was highest in the Z orientation and lowest in the X orientation. The porosity values of both the PA11 and the TPU specimens were observed to be the lowest in the Z orientation and highest in the X orientation, which was the opposite of the trend observed for the flexural strength of the specimens. The PA11 specimen possessed a low coefficient of friction (COF) of 0.13 and wear rate of 8.68 × 10⁻⁵ mm³/Nm as compared to the TPU specimen, which had a COF of 0.55 and wear rate of 0.012 mm³/Nm. The PA11 specimens generally had lower roughness values on their surfaces (R_a < 25 μm), while the TPU specimens had much rougher surfaces (R_a > 40 μm). This investigation aims to uncover and explain phenomena that are unique to the MJF process of PA11 and TPU while also serving as a benchmark against similar polymeric parts printed using other PBF processes.

Valorization of Industrial Lignin as Biobased Carbon Source in Fire Retardant System for Polyamide 11 Blends

In this study, two different types of industrial lignin (i.e., lignosulphonate lignin (LL) and kraft lignin (DL)) were exploited as charring agents with phosphorus-based flame retardants for polyamide 11 (PA11). The effect of lignins on the thermal stability and fire behavior of PA11 combined with phosphinate additives (namely, aluminum phosphinate (AlP) and zinc phosphinate (ZnP)) has been studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), UL 94 vertical flame spread, and cone calorimetry tests. Various blends of flame retarded PA11 were prepared by melt process using a twin-screw extruder. Thermogravimetric analyses showed that the LL containing ternary blends are able to provide higher thermal stability, as well as a developed char residue. The decomposition of the phosphinates led to the formation of phosphate compounds in the condensed phase, which promotes the formation of a stable char. Flammability tests showed that LL/ZnP ternary blends were able to achieve self-extinction and V-1 classification; the other formulations showed a strong melt dripping and higher burning. In addition to this, cone calorimetry results showed that the most enhanced behavior was found when 10 wt % of LL and AlP were combined, which strongly reduced PHRR (-74%) and THR (-22%), due to the interaction between LL and AlP, which not only promotes char formation but also confers the stability to char in the condensed phase.