C. Stephan, T. Dillon
PerkinElmer Inc,
Canada
Keywords: 3D materials testing, 3D material QA/QC
Summary:
Additive Manufacturing and 3-D Printing are two important industries that are very closely linked. Not only do innovations in either field drive the other but the way these materials are analysed in their respective laboratories is remarkable similar. In Additive Manufacturing and 3-D Printing laboratories the materials will be analysed for their chemical and mechanical properties. In this work I will give an overview into the many analysis performed in Additive Manufacturing and 3-D Printing laboratories. There are many analytical techniques that can be utilized to analyse 3-D printing materials and additives. Some instruments commonly used for chemical analysis are Gas Chromatographs (GC), Liquid Chromatographs (LC), and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). These instruments provide a lot of valuable data at all stages of the supply chains for Additive Manufacturing and 3-D Printing. Mechanical and Thermal Characterization is a crucial role in any Additive or 3-D Printing Laboratory. Some examples of instruments that help mechanically and thermally characterize additives and 3-D Printing material are Thermo-mechanical Analyzer (TMA) and Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Instruments that perform Thermal and Mechanical measurements are essential to any Additive or 3-D Printing laboratory. Additive Manufacturing and 3-D Printing laboratories are just like any other analytical laboratory where they must have the right instrumentation to get the answers you need. The instruments commonly used to provide these answers are found in both Additive and 3-D Printing laboratories. An effective analytical laboratory helps provide answers along the supply chain in any industry.