Influence of Process Parameters on Compression Properties of 3D Printed Polyether-Ether-Ketone by Fused Filament Fabrication

Metal replacement is an effective approach for sustainable manufacturing of polymer products in various sectors with the key advantage of reducing the component weight. Technopolymers are a class of materials with increased properties, i.e., thermal and chemical stability as well as mechanical resistance, compared to traditional plastics, thus resulting in a more efficient alternative for metal parts. Nowadays, Additive Manufacturing is a game-changer production technology due to its high flexibility, geometrical accuracy, reduced time and costs, and minimal waste. Therefore, an attractive research topic for technopolymers is their application in Additive Manufacturing. Polyether-ether-ketone (PEEK) is a semi-crystalline technopolymer, its thermal susceptibility during the cooling step of the process remains the dominant cause of dimensional warping and job failure. The nozzle and bed/chamber temperature difference should be optimised to reduce the thermal gradient. Previous researchers investigated the nozzle and bed temperature effects deeply. However, the chamber temperature influence on the dimensional accuracy and compression properties is still missing in the literature, particularly for samples printed with an infill lower than 100%. Therefore, this study aims to fill these gaps and deepen the knowledge about PEEK printing via Fused Filament Fabrication by evaluating the effects of chamber temperature and infill percentage over compression properties, printing accuracy and energy consumption. The specific compression properties highlighted that the highest values were reached for not fully dense samples. Furthermore, the heating chamber did not affect the dimensional accuracy and compressive properties as strongly to justify an energy consumption increment of 45%.