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Enhancing 3D printing with composite filaments incorporating electronic waste: a study on flexural and compression strength

  • Yogeshwaran Kumarasamy , Prases Kumar Mohanty EMAIL logo , Nagarjun Jayakumar and Shubhajit Das
Published/Copyright: March 20, 2025
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International Polymer Processing
From the journal International Polymer Processing Volume 40 Issue 2

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) has emerged as the preferred method for creating three-dimensional (3D) models with minimal waste. To enhance the mechanical strength of the 3D-printed models using FDM, researchers have explored composite filaments. This study aims to advance electronic waste (EW) recycling for effective waste management by fabricating a composite filament by incorporating EW as a filler particle for FDM application. The composite filament merges polylactic acid with printed circuit board (PCB) particles sourced from EW. Physical properties like flexural and compression strength were evaluated. The samples were printed following ASTM D790 and ASTM D695 standards, using default parameters such as a 100 % infill rate, rectilinear pattern, and a layer thickness of 0.2 mm. The optimal printing temperature of 200 °C for the samples was determined through flowability testing. Subsequently, the dimensional stability and surface roughness of the printed samples were assessed, demonstrating that the inclusion of filler particles enhanced dimensional stability and decreased surface roughness. The results of this study show that a composite filament containing 3 wt% EW-PCB exhibits enhanced flexural strength and a notable increase in flexural modulus. Similarly, the filament containing 3 wt% EW-PCB exhibited a 35 % increase in bulk modulus compared to the filament without EW, attributed to the presence of metals in the PCBs. The micromorphological analysis was performed on the tested samples using field emission scanning electron microscopy.

Keywords: electronic waste; composite filament; fused deposition modelling; flexural strength; bulk modulus; surface roughness
Corresponding author: Prases Kumar Mohanty, Department of Mechanical engineering, National Institute of Technology, Jote, Arunachal Pradesh, India, E-mail:

Acknowledgments

The first author and corresponding author express their gratitude for the support provided by Dr. N. Saravanakumar (Principal), Dr. R. Ramesh (Professor & HOD), and Mr. A. Anto Dilip (Research Assistant) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at PSG Institute of Technology and Applied Research, Tamil Nadu.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: Yogeshwaran Kumarasamy: Conceptualization, Writing – original draft, Investigation, Data curation, Validation, Formal analysis. Prases Kumar Mohanty: Methodology, Supervision, Review & editing. Nagarjun Jayakumar: Review & editing. Shubhajit Das: Review & editing.

  4. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  5. Research funding: None declared.

  6. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2024-07-19
Accepted: 2025-01-28
Published Online: 2025-03-20
Published in Print: 2025-05-26

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  2. Review Article
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https://doi.org/10.1515/ipp-2024-0090
Keywords for this article
electronic waste; composite filament; fused deposition modelling; flexural strength; bulk modulus; surface roughness

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review Article
  3. Corrosion resistive conducting polymeric nanocomposite-based coatings on steel: a mechanistic insight
  4. Research Articles
  5. Effect of compatibilizer type on the properties of thermoplastic elastomers based on recycled polyethylene at high ground tire rubber content
  6. Analyzing the effects of solid fraction and heat treatment on the mechanical properties of 3D printed polymer lattices
  7. Effect of polyvinyl acetate on the properties of biodegradable thermoplastic starch/polyethylene glycol blends
  8. A color masterbatch assistance system for optimizing product color by masterbatch addition in injection molding of post-industrial recyclates
  9. Enhancing 3D printing with composite filaments incorporating electronic waste: a study on flexural and compression strength
  10. Development of enhanced co-continuous PVDF/PET nanocomposites via synergistic effects of graphite particle size, hybrid systems, and reduced graphene oxide
  11. Integration of nanographene and action of fiber sequences on functional behaviour of composite laminates
  12. Effect of chain branching on the rheological properties of HDPE/LLDPE and HDPE/LDPE blends under shear and elongational flows and evaluation of die swell and flow instabilities
  13. Effect of graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) on low velocity impact properties of hybrid kevlar/basalt fiber reinforced epoxy based composites
  14. Sustainability in rotational molding: a study on recycling and the influence of additives
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