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To increase the applications of FDM (fusion deposition modeling) 3D printing in electronics, it is necessary to develop new filaments with good electrical properties and suitable processability. In this work, polymer composites filament-shaped with superior electrical performance based on polylactic acid (PLA) carbon nanotubes and lignin blends have been studied by combining solution mixing and melt blending. The results showed that composites achieve electrical percolation from 5 wt.% of nanotubes, with high electrical conductivity. Moreover, the introduction of a plasticizing additive, lignin, improved the printability of the material while increasing its electrical conductivity (from (1.5 ± 0.9)·10−7 S·cm−1 to (1.4 ± 0.9)·10−1 S cm−1 with 5 wt.% carbon nanotubes and 1 wt.% lignin) maintaining the mechanical properties of composite without additive. To validate lignin performance, its effect on PLA/MWCNT was compare with polyethylene glycol. PEG is a well-known commercial additive, and its use as dispersant and plasticizer in PLA/MWCNT composites has been proven in bibliography. PLA/MWCNT composites display easier processability by 3D printing and more adhesion between the printed layers with lignin than with PEG. In addition, the polyethylene glycol produces a plasticizing effect in the PLA matrix reducing the composite stiffness. Finally, an interactive electronic prototype was 3D printed to assess the printability of the new conducting filaments with 5 wt.% of MWCNT.

In the last decade, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) has gained popularity for allowing the fabrication of pieces with complex shapes. The final quality of the pieces is strongly linked to the shape, size and surface finish of the strands deposited successively, which themselves depend on the printing parameters and extruded material properties. In this work, we present an experimental characterization of an extruded and deposited single strand of Poly-Lactic Acid (PLA), by means of high-speed visualization of the bead region between the substrate and the nozzle, where the molten polymer is still in liquid phase. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model proposed in literature, and, based on isothermal and viscous flow assumptions, is validated with this data in terms of strand height and meniscus shape. The characteristics of the printed layer are also confronted to the measurements of the solidified strands by microscopy, with a good agreement. The focus on high printing speeds allows extending the conclusions of previous studies. Regarding the surface finish, the roughness patterns detected on the printed strands are correlated to the velocity fluctuations of the printing head. The CFD model does not capture those thickness variations, however, due to not accounting for solidification.