Pressure and heat treatment of continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastics produced by fused filament fabrication

Fused filament fabrication allows for the additive manufacturing of complex geometries without requiring moulds. However, due to large air voids and poor layer adhesion, the mechanical properties of parts manufactured using fused filament fabrication lag behind those of parts manufactured using conventional techniques. A previous study found that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of such parts could be increased by a heat-treatment process. However, large air voids were still present after annealing. This study, therefore, investigates the influence of a post-pressure-treatment process on the mechanical performance and the air void ratio of continuous glass fibre-reinforced polyamide 6 in the directions perpendicular to the fibres. Without the treatment, Young’s modulus on the plane parallel to the printing bed is eight times higher than Young’s modulus perpendicular to it. Annealing at 1 MPa homogenises the material and leads to a significant increase of both the tensile strength (55 MPa) and Young’s modulus (5 GPa). Increasing the pressure to 3 MPa only slightly increases the mechanical performance, whereas a further increase to 6 MPa causes no significant changes.