Hygromechanical performance of polyamide specimens made with fused filament fabrication

The material performance of polyamide (PA) samples made with fused filament fabrication (FFF) was analyzed. The authors implemented a well-structured framework to identify the filaments main properties before processing them and characterizing the printed samples. Unfilled and glass-fiber reinforced PA were investigated, focusing on moisture absorption and its effects on dimensional stability and mechanical performance. The properties were collected using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, whereas the specimens were characterized by employing compression tests. This framework allowed for the moisture determination, as well as the influence of the moisture absorption. A significant impact was detected for the glass-fiber reinforced PA, with a decrease in the dimensional and mechanical performance. The novelty of this study was to define a well-structured framework for testing the moisture influence of FFF components.