Additive manufacturing of carbon scaffold for thermoset composites

K. Fu
University Of Delaware,
United States

Keywords: 3D printing, thermoset resins, carbon materials, composites

Summary:

Additive manufacturing (AM) capable of handling lightweight and energy-efficient composites with great design flexibility offers great opportunities for manufacturing of advancing composite using multiscale carbon. However, there have been few AM techniques reported to process carbon composites with thermoset matrix. Herein, we report a rapid, cost-effective and near net-shape manufacturing strategy that enables the manufacture of 3D scaffold from carbon materials and further builds into carbon/thermoset composites. It can realize large scale fabrication of sophisticated components (like hollow structure and overhanging components) from diverse carbon materials, including nanomaterial (0D carbon black, 1D nanotube, 2D graphene and 3D graphite) and micro-material (virgin or recycled carbon fiber), in combination with tailored property by controllable alignment of additives in the composites. Our processing strategy provides a rapid processing route capable of cost-efficiency and structure scalability of structural carbon composite manufacturing.