Optimized Additive Manufacturing for High Dielectric Strength

ABSTRACT: To produce high dielectric strength insulator materials, our approach, called Optimized Additive Manufacturing for High Dielectric Strength (OAHDS), will optimize fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing in order to fabricate high density parts. Currently, thermoplastics 3D printed via FFF have dielectric strengths one to three orders of magnitude lower than injection molded parts made of the same thermoplastic material due to the high void content present in 3D printed parts. However, unlike some of the other additive manufacturing technologies, FFF is low cost and can easily be adapted to a wide variety of thermoplastics and composite materials in complex geometries, making it an ideal technology to utilize in the proposed effort. We will work to advance FFF to reduce voids via the fabrication of high quality, customized filaments, by determining the 3D printing process controls required to form 100% dense parts, and through the development of custom parts for the 3D printer. An optimized FFF printing technology will enable rapid prototyping, low cost parts, and short lead times to fabrication.; BENEFIT: Our primary objective in the proposed SBIR effort is to utilize fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing to develop high dielectric strength insulators for HPM and other vacuum-based technologies which meet the needs of the DoD as well as any other user of HPMs. Using FFF as a means to develop these insulators will allow for rapid prototyping of new geometries for a variety of insulator applications and will keep costs low for the end-user. We anticipate a very expansive user base for the proposed OAHDS technology. First, the final insulator product will be able to be designed to be used in different high power microwave sources, vacuum technologies, and in other insulator technologies. Second, the high density printing technology which will be developed to facilitate product fabricate will see users across a large number of fields where high mechanical strength in their 3D printed parts is key to their success. Finally, the advancements to the 3D printing technology will see customers in the 3D printing field, including commercial 3D printer developers as well as the home user.