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Abstract Biocomposite filaments for material extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing, particularly those derived from agricultural biomass, have attracted significant research and industrial interest. Biochar is a well-documented reinforcement agent that is used in several polymeric matrices. However, systematic research efforts regarding the quality scores of parts built with MEX 3D printing with biochar-based filaments are marginal. Herein, the impact of biochar loading on the quality metrics of the five most popular polymers for MEX 3D printing (ABS, HDPE, PETG, PP, and PLA) is quantitatively examined in depth. Sophisticated and massive Non-Destructive Tests (NDTs) were conducted, and the impact of biochar loading on the critical quality indicators (CQIs), including porosity, dimensional conformity, and surface roughness, was documented. The quality scores for the biochar filler loading, also five in total, were statistically correlated with the corresponding reinforcement metrics for the five polymeric matrices. A statistically significant antagonistic interaction between the tensile strength course and porosity/dimensional deviation metrics, particularly for PETG, was observed. It can be concluded that the lowest porosity and dimensional deviation are associated with the highest strength. The 4 wt% biocomposite exhibited optimal quality performance in most polymers studied. Graphical abstract
Vidakis et al. (Fri,) studied this question.