Relationship between the role of crystallization and additive manufacturing processing of biodegradable binary and ternary polyester blends.

Additive manufacturing (AM) stands at the forefront of modern fabrication techniques, enabling the creation of intricate three-dimensional objects from CAD models or 3D scans with remarkable material-resource efficiency. This cutting-edge process is ideally suited for producing high-end products across various industries. The most popular AM techniques for thermoplastic materials, namely Extrusion-based technologies and Powder bed fusion, are known for their affordability and simple mechanical design, making them the go-to methods for utilizing amorphous and semicrystalline polymers.
Semicrystalline polymers, in particular, offer outstanding potential for producing AM-printed parts with enhanced strength and durability, surpassing those made from amorphous materials in terms of mechanical and thermal stability. However, controlling the degree of crystallinity (Xc) is essential for preventing warping and maintaining structural integrity and dimensional accuracy during the cooling process. This study aims to develop a groundbreaking method for controlling the Xc and the viscoelastic properties of semicrystalline blends (binary, ternary, and compatibilized blends) by blending various materials with different Xc values.
Understanding the role of each blend component before and after printing, as well as the printing conditions, is paramount in establishing solid relationships between crystallization behavior and the printability of semicrystalline blends. In-situ WAXS/SAXS characterization using different crystallization conditions will provide groundbreaking insights into the evolution of crystallinity based on time, temperature, compositions, nature of blend components, and molecular weight before processing (printing vs. injection). By analyzing processed parts, we will also determine the influence of processing conditions on the crystallization behavior of the blends. SR is crucial for accurately detecting and understanding the structural changes during thermal transitions within a narrow temperature and time range.