Effect of Dip-Coating on Tensile and High Cycle Fatigue Behavior of 3D Printed Bio-Polymer Blends

Considering the desirable biodegradable properties and mechanical characteristics of poly lactic acid (PLA) and poly caprolactone (PCL), these polymers are recently widely utilized in medical applications including the fabrication of body-compatible implants. One of the most efficient manufacturing methods to fabricate polymer-based implants is 3D printing, due to its ability to rapidly produce parts with complex geometries. In this study, an effort has been made to study the impact of the dip-coating process on tensile and high cycle fatigue behavior of 3D printed PLA/PCL blends, using PCL/chloroform solution. The results demonstrate that after applying the PCL coating on the surface of the samples, the fracture strain of the pure PLA, PLA/10wt% PCL, and PLA/20wt% PCL increases by 67.6%, 94.6%, and 9%, respectively, compared to those of the uncoated ones. Moreover, a slight increase was observed in the high cycle fatigue life of coated samples, especially under lower stress amplitudes.