Investigation of filler share influence in highly filled carbon polymer compounds (> 50 vol%) with Material Extrusion (MEX) based Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as "3D printing," enables the tool-free production of models, functional samples, and prototypes. Some processes are already suitable for the economical production of small batches today. Due to the growing adoption of various 3D printing processes in industry, falling costs for machines and materials, and increasing automation options in both pre- and post-processing, additive manufacturing processes are becoming more important for industrial series production. A central challenge is successfully processing the materials on 3D printers for specific applications. While conventional plastics and metals can already be processed successfully using various additive manufacturing processes, certain applications require special highly filled materials. This article presents a process for the additive manufacturing of highly filled plastic components. In addition to implementing new and complex design options, it enables the rapid development of prototypes as well as the economical production of small batches and custom designs. Graphitic bipolar plates are used to demonstrate a possible application in fuel cells.

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