Wednesday  |  Executive AB  |  11:50 AM–12:10 PM

#19445, Interfacial Characterization of Metal Wire Inlays for 3D Printed FDM Parts

A novel process for creating 3D printed parts with metal wire inlay has been developed at the University of Maryland. By using metal wire inlay, parts can retain the properties of drawn metal wires that can be either embedded in polymer or fully exposed. As a result, the mechanical integrity of the metal wire interface with the FDM polymer can be controled through the printing conditions and preparation of the wire surface. In this investigation, we develop a novel test specimen for characterizing the mechanical integraity of the metal-wire/polymer interface. In particular, the test specimen is designed to quantify the ability of the interface to provide hermetic sealing when loaded by pressurized fluids. The effects of the processing and preparation conditions on the interfacial strength are also investigated, and a cohesive model of the interface is developed. As a result, it is possible to design new 3D printed metal-polymer composite structures with free standing metal wires that can be utilized in a a variety of different applications ranging from integrated flow sensing to enhanced thermal control.

Hugh Bruck   University of Maryland
Michael Ohadi   University of Maryland
Amir Shooshtari   University of Maryland
Veeresh Ayyagari   University of Maryland