Experimental study of mechanical, electrical and thermal properties for 3d-printed copper nano-particles/pla matrix polymer composite

In the modern world, Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an exclusive technology that is emerging with potentially great influence on the production of functional products because of its ability to fabricate highly complex and customized structures using computerized geometries and designs. Such a high degree of freedom of AM technology allows it to integrate with various high-end production industries. In the present study, mechanical, thermal and electrical properties of copper nano-particles (Cu-NPs) and polylactic acid (PLA) matrix polymer composite (MPC) samples, fabricated by fused deposition modeling (FDM) were investigated. The composite material was developed by mixing polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable thermoplastic polymer with copper nano-particles (Cu-NPs) in varying concentrations. The tensile and flexural strength of FDM printed specimens were increased up to 72.45 and 102.45% respectively as compared to pure PLA. Both thermal and electrical conductivities were observed to have maximum values of 0.334 W/mK and 0.481 S/m respectively for 15 wt% of Cu-NPs concentrations. The presence of nano-filler material reduces the distortion and hence leads to give smooth surface and accurate dimensions of the printed samples. These results indicate the potential applications of metal-based matrix polymer composites in electronics, packaging and automobile industries etc. because of improved electrical and thermal properties with enhanced strength.