Fabrication of Graphene Nanoparticle Reinforced Feedstock Filaments for Sustainable Rapid Tooling and Green Manufacturing

The growing demand for sustainable rapid tooling in 3D printing highlights the requirement for such advanced materials that are designed using the framework of green chemistry principles. The application of rapid tooling in 3D printing has driven the need for advanced materials with high strength and thermal stability. Reinforcing thermoplastics like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) along with nanomaterials such as graphene has the potential for improving the processability in 3D printing, along with its mechanical properties. This study mainly aims for developing ABS reinforced with graphene-based feedstock filament by using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process for applications related to 3D printing. Initially, by using the Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, the fabrication of the ABS-graphene-based filaments was done by varying the factors like composition of graphene (1% weight, 1.5% weight, and 2% weight), temperature during extrusion (200°C, 205°C, and 210°C), and speed of the screw during extrusion (3, 6, and 9 rpm). Then, the prepared samples of the filaments were subjected to various tests like tensile testing, followed by morphological analysis (SEM and surface roughness tests), thermal stability (TGA), and chemical bonding (FTIR) analysis. On further inspection, the filament with 2% weight of graphene powder and 210°C as the temperature of extrusion at an extrusion speed of 3 rpm was found to be the most optimized one. Hence, the results revealed that there was a significant improvement in the values of Young’s modulus and enhanced homogeneity of structure, with better thermal properties as compared to the pure ABS-based filament. The improved stiffness, thermal stability, and smooth extrusion behavior of the developed filaments under MEX conditions demonstrate their suitability for rapid tooling applications that require dimensional stability and rigidity. Apart from the thermal stability and enhanced stiffness, the graphene-based proposed polymeric filaments can reduce waste with improved energy efficiency and offer potential catalytic functionalities. Thus, it contributes to additive manufacturing and aligns the goals with green chemistry principles.