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3D printing, specifically fused deposition modeling (FDM) of poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK), is one of the most powerful and efficient state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. However, FDM of PEEK is challenging. Indeed, it is critical to consider specific 3D printing parameters and filament feedstock quality to achieve optimum mechanical properties in the 3D-printed PEEK parts. In this paper, we investigate the effect of specific 3D printing parameters such as nozzle and chamber temperature, print speed, and layer height on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed PEEK. Moreover, we explore the effect of filament quality on the structures' mechanical properties. In that regard, we developed PEEK filaments using a customized extruder setup in-house and used those laboratory-developed filaments (LD) to 3D print PEEK structures suitable for mechanical testing (tensile, compression, and flexural testing) and compared them to the mechanical properties of 3D-printed parts that were developed using commercially available (CA) filaments. Results indicate that an optimum combination of a nozzle and chamber temperature, print speed, and layer height is appropriate to achieve 3D-printed parts with optimum mechanical properties. Notably, results confirmed no significant differences between the specimen groups developed using LD and CA filaments, highlighting that the LD filaments were of comparable quality to the CA ones. The highest mean strengths recorded for the parts printed with the LD filaments were 106.45 MPa (compressive), 85.43 MPa (tensile), and 102.63 MPa (flexural). This paper confirms that high-quality PEEK-based filaments can be developed in-house to yield 3D-printed PEEK parts with optimum mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this study is to develop and analyze 3D printed structures based on a well-known composite known as β-Tricalcium Phosphate (TCP)– polylactic acid (PLA). There are some interesting aspects of this study. First, we developed 3D printable TCP–PLA composite filaments in-house, with high reproducibility, by a one-step process method using a single screw extruder. Second, we explored the physicochemical properties of the developed TCP–PLA composite filaments. Third, we investigated the effect of an FDM-based nozzle temperature of 190 °C, 200 °C, 210 °C, and 220 °C on the composite's crystallinity and rheological and mechanical properties. Results confirmed the successful development of constant-diameter TCP–PLA composite filaments with a homogeneous distribution of TCP particles in the PLA matrix. We observed that a higher nozzle temperature in the FDM process increased the crystallinity of the printed PLA and TCP–PLA structures. As a result, it also helped to enhance the mechanical properties of the printed structures. The rheological studies were performed in the same temperature range used in the actual FDM process, and results showed an improvement in rheological properties at higher nozzle temperatures. The bare polymer and the composite polymer-ceramic melts exhibited lower viscosity and less rigidity at higher nozzle temperatures, which resulted in enhancing the polymer melt flowability and interlayer bonding between the printed layers. Overall, our results confirmed that 3D printable TCP–PLA filaments could be made in-house, and optimization of the nozzle temperature is essential to developing 3D printed composite parts with favorable mechanical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]