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The increasing demand on the production of ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) leads to the implementation of 3D Printing technology into the manufacturing process, due to its fast production, good design optimization, and cost-effectiveness. Now, several research works were made to implement natural composite as the 3D Printer filament to increase the sustainability of the material, as well as reduce the AFO's weight and raw material cost. However, since this AFO will be used on a daily basis, it is significant to understand the weight, fatigue and impact strength of the orthosis since they affect the user's safety. The aim of this paper is to investigate the density, fatigue and impact strength of the printed kenaf/PLA composite for its possible usability for AFO. The filler within the kenaf/PLA composite was varied at 3, 5 and 7 wt. % and extruded to obtain the composite filament, which was used with 3D printer to print out the specimens used for density, impact, and fatigue test. As the amount of fillers increased, the density and impact resistance decreases while fatigue life increases. In conclusion, the results found in the density and fatigue tests show a positive perspective towards its usability for AFO.

Abstract A silane coupling agent, namely γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APS), was used to modify kenaf powder (KP). It was then used as filler in a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) based on Recycled High Density Polyethylene/Natural Rubber Blends (rHDPE/NR). The attachment of silane onto KP was verified by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), while the performance of the TPE was assessed in terms of mechanical and thermal properties. The results revealed that specific functional groups of APS were efficiently grafted onto the KP. Tensile strength was improved by the modification with silane and this also affected Young’s modulus of the TPE. Also, improved thermal stability was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), as the degradation temperature increased upon inclusion of silane. These effects are attributed to improved compatibility of the KP and rHDPE/NR blend. Such compatibilizing effect was confirmed by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) that indicated significantly increased crystallinity after the modification with silane.

Kenaf powder (KP) was incorporated into recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE)/natural rubber (NR) blend using an internal mixer at 165°C and rotor speed of 50 rpm. The tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites decreased, while the tensile modulus increased with increasing filler loading. The water absorption was found to increase as the filler content increased. The maleic anhydride grafted natural rubber was prepared and used to enhance the composites performance. The addition of MANR as a coupling agent improved the tensile properties of rHDPE/NR/KP biocomposites. The water absorption was also reduced with the addition of MANR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]