Additive Manufacturing QC

Carbon Fiber/PEEK 3D Printed Samples

Fibre-reinforced thermoplastics are of great interest due to their excellent physical properties. However, their ideal strength and durability may be greatly compromised by both unwanted voids, and weak adhesion between the fibres and the polymer matrix. Understanding how these defects can be minimised through manufacturing processes like additive manufacturing (e.g. 3D printing) is of critical importance. 

This image shows a subset (0.5mm x 1.5mm x 1.3mm) of the 3D micro-CT analysis of a 2mm x 2mm x 6mm sample of a 3d printed composite material. The high-quality tomogram (1.6 micron voxel size) has been segmented using the Mango software tool (developed in the Applied Maths department at ANU). The different phases, fibres, resin and voids are easily distinguishable, enabling quantitative analyses to be carried out.

Originator: Silvano Sommacal 
Application: Composite materials/Additive manufacturing 
Affiliation: College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), Australian National University (ANU)