Investigation of the Processability of Different High-Performance Materials in the FDM Process with Regard to the Shrinkage Behavior

Due to the great popularity of the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process, the material market is growing. In particular, processing of high-temperature materials such as PEEK or PPSU is challenging. The aim of the investigations is to test different high-performance materials regarding their processability in the FDM process. An unreinforced PEEK, an unreinforced PPSU and a glass fiber reinforced PP are investigated. The processability is assessed by examining the shrinkage and warpage behavior. The assessment of the amount of warpage is carried out by building test specimens. For this purpose, a method developed at the DMRC is used. In addition, the influence of the position of the test specimens in the build chamber is investigated. By this, the influences of varying nozzle and build chamber temperatures on the achievable amount of warpage can be evaluated.