Under-extrusion challenges for elastic filaments: the influence of moisture on additive manufacturing

The applicability of Additive Manufacturing for operational parts expands with the availability of new materials with specific properties. For elastomeric components produced with Fused Filament Fabrication, challenges associated with the printing process due to the nature of the material are faced. This paper investigates the effect of under-extrusion in this process regarding the feeding system and, predominantly, the moisture for thermoplastic polyurethanes with 3D printing experiments and thermomechanical testing. In particular, the filament flow control with a Bowden extruder provides a challenge. A microscopic analysis reveals the signs of under-extrusion, along with the influence of material drying to reduce the moisture content. The drying may depend not only on time and temperature, but also on mass and surface effects. Water uptake measurements exhibit absorptions up to 1.89% in weight, most of which take place during the first 24 h of the experiments. Tensile tests performed on samples with different moisture contents show their influence in the ultimate stresses. The moisture in the material causes under-extrusion induced failures. Those failures are less likely to happen at lower moisture levels, resulting in occasional higher tensile strengths. Overall, the importance of proper storage of the material throughout printing is verified, even under moderate humidity conditions due to its hygroscopic nature.