Characterization of Pili Nut Shell (Canarium Ovatum Engl.) as Potential Additive in 3D Printing Filaments

Additive manufacturing has shown great advantages over other manufacturing techniques. Research on the advances in the field includes the production of novel composite filaments that have a unique set of properties. This study focuses on the characterization of pili nut shells for use as potential additives in composite filaments. Pili nut shell, as abundant waste material from the production of pili products can be processed into a useful additive. The shell was crushed, ground, and carbonized to produce a viable filler. The raw and carbonized samples were characterized using Fourier Transform spectroscopy (FTIR) for chemical composition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) for chemical identification, and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for the thermal properties. FTIR shows the components of the raw pili nut shell made of lignin, hemicellulose, pectin, and cellulose. After carbonization, some of the components were removed and carboxyl bonds were observed. XRD reveals successful carbonization of the sample. While DSC provides the response of the two powders with increasing temperature. Carbonized samples are more stable in high temperatures.