Scientific Publications
Development of a Simple Mechanical Screening Method for Predicting the Feedability of a Pharmaceutical FDM 3D Printing Filament
Pharmaceutical Research, 35, 151
Purpose The filament-based feeding mechanism employed
by the majority of fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3D
printers dictates that the materials must have very specific
mechanical characteristics. Without a suitable mechanical
profile, the filament can cause blockages in the printer. The
purpose of this study was to develop a method to screen the
mechanical properties of pharmaceutically-relevant, hot-melt
extruded filaments to predetermine their suitability for FDM.
Methods A texture analyzer was used to simulate the forces a
filament is subjected to inside the printer. The texture analyzer
produced a force-distance curve referred to as the flexibility profile.
Principal Component Analysis and Correlation Analysis statistical
methods were then used to compare the flexibility profiles
of commercial filaments to in-house made filaments.
Results Principal component analysis showed clearly separated
clustering of filaments that suffer from mechanical defects versus
filaments which are suitable for printing. Correlation scores
likewise showed significantly greater values with feedable filaments
than their mechanically deficient counterparts.
Pharmaceutical Research, 35, 151
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