Artigo

A New Methodology to Fabricate Polymer–Metal Parts Through Hybrid Fused Filament Fabrication

Sofia F. Silva; Pedro M.S. Rosado; Carlos M.A. Silva — 2025

Informações chave

Autores:

Sofia F. Silva (Sofia Flores da Silva); Pedro M.S. Rosado (Pedro Rosado); Rui F.V. Sampaio (Rui Filipe Vieira Sampaio); João P.M. Pragana (João Pedro da Fonseca Matos Pragana); Ivo M.F. Bragança (Ivo Manuel Ferreira de Bragança); Eurico Assunção (Eurico Gonçalves Assunção); Carlos M.A. Silva (Carlos Manuel Alves da Silva)

Publicado em

08/05/2025

Resumo

This paper introduces a new methodology that enables the production of polymer–metal parts through hybrid additive manufacturing. The approach combines fused filament fabrication (FFF) of polymers with adhesive bonding of metal inserts, applied during layer-by-layer construction. The work is based on unit cells designed and fabricated using eco-friendly materials—polylactic acid (PLA) and aluminum—which were subsequently analyzed for build quality and for mechanical performance under tensile lap-shear and three-point bending tests. The acquired knowledge in terms of optimal processing parameters for attaining strong polymer–metal bonds was then applied for the fabrication and testing of prototypes representing modular corner connectors for framing applications. Results on build quality demonstrate that issues, such as lumps and warping, can be solved by finetuning the 3D printing stages of the proposed methodology. In terms of destructive testing, significant improvements in the mechanical performance of PLA can be achieved, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed methodology in integrating the lightweight properties of polymers with the stiffness of metals. This enables the development of innovative, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions that align with the growing demand for eco-friendly materials and processes in manufacturing.

Detalhes da publicação

Autores da comunidade :

Primeira página ou número de artigo

4254

Volume

17

Fascículo

10

DOI

10.3390/su17104254

Domínio Científico (FOS)

mechanical-engineering - Engenharia Mecânica

Palavras-chave

  • Additive manufacturing
  • Fused filament fabrication
  • Adhesive bonding
  • Polymer-metal parts

Idioma da publicação (código ISO)

eng - Inglês

Acesso à publicação:

Acesso apenas a metadados

Entidade financiadora da bolsa/projeto

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

Identificador da Entidade Financiadora: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871

Tipo de identificador da Entidade Financiadora: Crossref Funder