Physical, thermal and tensile behaviour of 3D printed kenaf/PLA to suggest its usability for ankle–foot orthosis – a preliminary study
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 29 March 2022
Issue publication date: 2 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to discuss the physical and thermal properties of the three-dimensional (3D) printing natural composite filament, as well as the tensile behaviour of the printed composites to get an insight of its possibility to be used as an ankle–foot orthosis (AFO) material.
Design/methodology/approach
Physical test that was conducted includes scanning electron microscopy analysis, thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry analysis as well as the effect of fibre load after extrusion on the filament morphology. Tensile test was conducted with different amounts of fibre loads (0, 3, 5 and 7 Wt.%) on the printed specimens.
Findings
There is an increment of strength as the fibre load is increased to 3 Wt.%; however, it decreases significantly as it is increased to 5 and 7 Wt.% because of the presence of voids. It also shows that the extrusion temperature severely affects the structure of the filaments, which will then affect the strength of the printed composites. Based on the results, it is possible to use kenaf/polylactic acid (PLA) filament to print out AFO as long as the filament production and printing process are being controlled properly.
Originality/value
The unique aspect of this paper is the investigation of kenaf/PLA filament as a material for 3D printing, as well as its material consideration for AFO manufacturing. This paper also studies the effect of extrusion temperature on the morphological structure of the filament and its effect on the tensile properties of the printed kenaf/PLA specimen.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Universiti Putra Malaysia for financial support through the Geran Putra Berimpak, GPB 9668200. The authors would like to thank the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, and Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology, Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Product (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia (HICOE) for the close collaboration in this research.
Citation
Shahar, F.S., Hameed Sultan, M.T., Safri, S.N.A., Jawaid, M., Abu Talib, A.R., Basri, A.A. and Md Shah, A.U. (2022), "Physical, thermal and tensile behaviour of 3D printed kenaf/PLA to suggest its usability for ankle–foot orthosis – a preliminary study", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 28 No. 8, pp. 1573-1588. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-08-2021-0207
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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