Ho Assists in Research Aimed at Improving Toughness of 3D Printing Output

Turner College management professor Johnny Ho recently joined forces with scholars from the University of Texas – El Paso’s Aerospace Center, W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, and Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering to produce new research aimed at improving 3D printing technology.  The research points out that although epoxies are a popular polymer, some exhibit low physical properties and brittleness, leading to reduced toughness.  Thus, Ho and his colleagues explore the effect of adding short carbon fibers to expoxy-based polymer material on the material’s physical and thermomechanical properties.  To test the effect on tensile, four-point bending and dynamic mechanical analysis, the researchers printed test samples from a 3D printer using the laser powder bed fusing technique.  The findings of this research, which are reported in the current issue of the Journal of Composites Science, demonstrate the feasibility of improving the strength properties of 3D-printed carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy.  More specifically, carbon fiber reinforcement can be used to effect up to a 259% improvement in fracture resistance in the output of 3D printers.