Glass-reinforced, Recycled PET as Additive Manufacturing Feedstock
Abstract
Poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a commodity thermoplastic that is predominately used in drink bottles, production of which is forecasted to reach 583.3 billion in 2021. Waste PET plastic bottles also accumulate rapidly on Forward Operating Bases (FOBs), and are currently disposed of by burning, which compromises the respiratory health of U.S. soldiers and residents of locales adjacent to FOBs. Fortunately, recycled PET (rPET) as well as its glass fiber (GF) reinforced composites have potential application as a cheap, local feedstock for fused filament fabrication (FFF) additive manufacturing (AM), which could be used to fabricate repair parts on an FOB and thus reduce time required to obtain parts. The objectives of this study are (i) to explore the use of PET as a feedstock for FFF and (ii) to explore the effects of glass-fiber (GF) reinforcement on PET processability and final printed part properties.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 30, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1092337
Entities
People
- Moby Ahmed