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Using a magnetite/thermoplastic composite in 3D printing of direct replacements for commercially available flow sensors
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Leigh, Simon J., Purssell, C. P., Billson, Duncan R. and Hutchins, David A. (2014) Using a magnetite/thermoplastic composite in 3D printing of direct replacements for commercially available flow sensors. Smart Materials and Structures, 23 (9). 095039. doi:10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/095039
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WRAP-using-magnetite-thermoplastic-composite-3D-printing-sensors-Leigh-2019.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer. Download (1911Kb) | Preview |
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/095039
Abstract
Flow sensing is an essential technique required for a wide range of application environments ranging from liquid dispensing to utility monitoring. A number of different methodologies and deployment strategies have been devised to cover the diverse range of potential application areas. The ability to easily create new bespoke sensors for new applications is therefore of natural interest. Fused deposition modelling is a 3D printing technology based upon the fabrication of 3D structures in a layer-by-layer fashion using extruded strands of molten thermoplastic. The technology was developed in the late 1980s but has only recently come to more wide-scale attention outside of specialist applications and rapid prototyping due to the advent of low-cost 3D printing platforms such as the RepRap. Due to the relatively low-cost of the printers and feedstock materials, these printers are ideal candidates for wide-scale installation as localized manufacturing platforms to quickly produce replacement parts when components fail. One of the current limitations with the technology is the availability of functional printing materials to facilitate production of complex functional 3D objects and devices beyond mere concept prototypes. This paper presents the formulation of a simple magnetite nanoparticle-loaded thermoplastic composite and its incorporation into a 3D printed flow-sensor in order to mimic the function of a commercially available flow-sensing device. Using the multi-material printing capability of the 3D printer allows a much smaller amount of functional material to be used in comparison to the commercial flow sensor by only placing the material where it is specifically required. Analysis of the printed sensor also revealed a much more linear response to increasing flow rate of water showing that 3D printed devices have the potential to at least perform as well as a conventionally produced sensor.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||
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| Subjects: | T Technology > TS Manufactures | ||||||
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science > Engineering | ||||||
| Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): | Three-dimensional printing, Magnetite, Thermoplastic composites | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Smart Materials and Structures | ||||||
| Publisher: | Institute of Physics Publishing Ltd | ||||||
| ISSN: | 0964-1726 | ||||||
| Official Date: | 15 August 2014 | ||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 23 | ||||||
| Number: | 9 | ||||||
| Article Number: | 095039 | ||||||
| DOI: | 10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/095039 | ||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||
| Publisher Statement: | This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in insert Smart Materials and Structures. The publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at https://doi.org/10.1088/0964-1726/23/9/095039 | ||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||
| RIOXX Funder/Project Grant: |
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