Plastic Materials and 3D Printing Technologies

1. Plastic Materials: Polymers and monomers.

2. Thermoplastics: Softened by heating and can be melted multiple times.

• Polyethylene (PE): Bags, bottles, containers.
• Polystyrene: Packaging, heat insulation.
• Polyvinyl Chloride: High-resistant pipes, cables.
• Polypropylene: Model and dye resistant, toys.
• Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET): Recyclable, transparent dye, bottles.
• Teflon: Resistant to chemicals and high temperatures, used in frying pans.
• Polycarbonate: Resistant to impact and heat.

Thermosets: Form permanent networks.

• Melamine: Withstands high temperatures and chemicals, used in wooden boards.
• Bakelite: Hard and brittle dark plastic, used for handles of kitchen utensils.
• Polyester Resins: Rigid and brittle, strengthened with fiberglass for swimming pools.

Elastomers: Flexible and do not re-melt. Examples include Rubber and Neoprene.

3. Forming Plastics: Extrusion, Injection Moulding, Compressing Moulding, Blow Moulding, Vacuum Moulding.

4. Machining Plastics:

• Turning: A plastic part rotates against a blade to shape its outer surface.
• Milling: Involves shaping the part using a rotary tool with multiple teeth.
• Grinding: Uses an abrasive wheel to polish the surface, remove burrs, and excess material.

6. 3D Printing Materials Used:

• ABS: Tough, hard, and rigid. High melting point, recyclable, not biodegradable.
• PLA: Made from natural materials, biodegradable. Operates at 190-200°C, produces no harmful gases.
• Labryck: Filament for 3D printers, made of plaster and plastic, used to create a sandstone-like appearance.
• Laywoo-D3: Filament composed of polymer and 40% wood particles.
• Flaflex: Flexible filament, made of polyurethane + additives, elastic, used for mobile phone cases.

7. 3D Printing Technologies:

• Powder Bed Fusion
• Extrusion Deposition

Components:

• Electronics: Arduino controlled board.
• Mechanics: Motors and mechanisms move material and deposit it at selected spots.
• Extruder: Takes filament from the coil and deposits the correct amount onto the print bed. The filament exits from the nozzle.

8. 3D Printer Process:

• Design: The design must be saved in STL format (e.g., OpenSCAD, Tinkercad, FreeCAD).
• Slicing: Translates the STL format into GCODE, determining the number of layers and their order (e.g., Cura, Slic3r).
• Printing: The GCODE file is copied to a memory card, inserted into a 3D printer, and controlled via software (e.g., Repetier-Host).