Influence of printing process parameters and controlled cooling effect on the quality and mechanical properties of additively manufactured CCFRPC

Additive manufacturing technique is acquiring an advancement in developing the composite using continuous carbon fiber (CCF) that provides the high strength. The quality and printing process of the fabricated composite part greatly affects its mechanical properties and performance. In this study, the effect of printing parameters (extrusion temperature, extrusion width and extrusion multiplier) on the tensile and flexural properties were examined. To improve the quality of the 3D printed composite specimen, a controlled cooling effect was introduced. The quality of the printing of the composite specimen was studied and inspected with the ranges of air flow rates. The results highlighted that using extrusion temperature of 230OC, extrusion width 1.2 mm and extrusion multiplier of 0.7 showed the best mechanical performance. While the quality of the composite spec-imen printed using the cooling with the air flow rate of 40 l/min revealed the finest distribution of 3D printed composite lines and layers. The CCF composite structure fabricated using the combination of optimum printing parameters exhibited the maximum tensile and flexural strength levels of 294.46 MPa and 247.24 MPa, respectively.