Enhancing the Performance of 3D‐Printed Polyamide Composites Through Pre‐ and Post‐Processing Methods

ABSTRACT In this study, composite filaments with a short carbon fiber (CF) reinforced polyamide 612 (PA612) were produced using the FDM method at three different raster angles (0°, ±45°, 90°). To overcome the disadvantages of the FDM on material properties, annealing was applied to the produced composites. The effects of the annealing process and the raster angle, simultaneously, on the properties of the composites were investigated. To this end, tensile, hardness, adhesive wear, DSC, DMA, and SEM analyses were performed. The tensile test results showed that the highest tensile strength was obtained in the sample type annealed at a 0° raster angle, while the highest increase rate reached 40% in the sample type annealed at a ±45° raster angle. On the other hand, the adhesive wear test results showed that the sample type exhibiting the best wear resistance was the sample annealed at a 90° raster angle. The thermal and thermomechanical test results also corroborated the other test results and showed that the annealing process caused a significant increase in the glass transition temperatures of the composites. SEM micrographs have demonstrated that the annealing process improves the interaction between CF and PA612 in the composite. In conclusion, it has been determined that the combined use of an appropriate raster angle and annealing process in composites produced by the FDM method is an effective method for improving material performance.