New Sustainable Composites for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing in Furniture Industry

Abstract

With the emergence of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies the demand for new materials increases, especially composite materials for use in different sectors, including the furniture industry. Various elements need to be replaced on the wood furniture over the years of use and sometimes it is difficult to find available appropriate replacement elements. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printing is excellent technology to produce custom made elements according to the requirements. However, commercially available materials are largely lacking to fulfill the growing demands at the market. Custom made materials, including composites for FDM 3D printing, can be fabricated in the form of a filament, by using various technologies, thus opening new directions in material development. Some novel materials include composites with graphene or carbon nanotubes (CNTs) incorporated in polymer matrix for better strength, or sustainable composites, such as those with wood waste particles or fibers mixed into the polymer matrix. We propose a composite made of polymer matrix with the addition of 40% recycled wood, for application in wood-related and furniture industries. Variation of processing parameters of 3D printing (printing temperature, speed, infill design, etc.), together with varying the type of polymers for the composite matrix, different percentages of reinforcements (wood waste recycled in a form of particles and/or fibers), and their size and shapes, can indicate suitable material candidates. Additionally, optimization of 3D printing and post-processing by considering also the costs, while preserving structural and mechanical properties, has been done by using numerical optimization methods. FDM 3D printed parts in wood-related industries can find application in various fields, from prototyping within the design of new products, fabricating real product parts and the rapid production of customised tools. New composites that will use recycled wood can offer different benefits, including production of sustainable green materials that can be used across a range of industries.