Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.3390/polym17070922

Publication Title

Polymers

Volume

17

Issue

7

Pages

922 (1-23)

Abstract

The aim of this work is to study the effect of high-temperature compaction (HTC) upon the polymorphism and the mechanical behavior of an additively manufactured (AM) carbon fiber-reinforced polyamide (PA6). Different pressure and temperature levels during HTC were tested to determine the overall effect on the mechanical behavior and material crystalline composition. Treated, carbon fiber-reinforced PA6 samples were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and three-point bending testing. When considered with respect to as-printed samples, an HTC temperature of 190 °C combined with 80 psi pressure resulted in an increased flexural modulus and strength of 47% and 58%, respectively. This increase was attributed to the decrease in AM-induced cracking, voids (both inside and between the beads), and crystalline solid-state transition in the PA6. The effect of pressure and temperature on the crystalline structure was discussed in terms of an increased degree of crystallinity and the amount of α-phase. Therefore, HTC can help overcome some limitations of traditional annealing, which can result in recrystallization-induced cracking which can lead to material embrittlement. The proposed HTC method demonstrates the potential in improving the mechanical behavior of AM thermoplastic composites.

Rights

© 2025 by the authors.

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author."

Original Publication Citation

Barber, J., Revolinsky, P., Bhagatji, J., Pedrazzoli, D., Kravchenko, S., & Kravchenko, O. (2025). Polymorphism and mechanical behavior in hot-pressed 3D-printed polyamide composite: Effects of pressure and temperature. Polymers, 17(7), 1-23, Article 922. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym17070922

ORCID

0000-0001-7228-811X (Bhagatji), 0000-0002-8573-7540 (Kravchenko)

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