Polycaprolactone with Glass Beads for 3D Printing Filaments

Abstract

At present, 3D printing is experiencing a great boom. The demand for new materials for 3D printing is also related to its expansion. This paper deals with manufacturing innovative polymer composite filaments suitable for the Fused Filament Fabrication method in 3D printing. As a filler, common and uncostly glass beads were used and mixed with biocompatible and biodegradable poly (ε-caprolactone), as a polymer matrix. This material was characterized via several physical-chemical methods. The Youngs modulus was increasing by about 30% with 20% loading of glass beads, and simultaneously, brittleness and elongations were decreased. The glass beads do not affect the shore hardness of filaments. The rheological measurement confirmed the material stability in a range of temperatures 75–120 °C. The presented work aimed to prepare lightweight biocompatible, cheap material with appropriate mechanical properties, lower printing temperature, and good printing processing. We can assess that the goal was fully met, and these filaments could be used for a wide range of applications.