Magnetic and Fiber Bragg Grating Characterization of 3D Printed Magnetic Samples

Magnetic 3D printed samples have been simultaneously studied with an optical Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) and a Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). The samples were manufactured with a 3D desktop printer, using a ferromagnetic Polylactic Acid (PLA) filament. Both the shape and printing filling fraction of the samples were varied. We directly measured the magnetic force between the printed unit and a permanent magnet using a FBG. This result was compared with the calculated magnetic force, obtained through VSM and gaussmeter data. The filament saturation magnetization was evaluated to be 34.60 Am
²
/kg, indicating a magnetite content of around 35%. The obtained magnetic hysteresis curve exhibits a soft magnetic behavior, meaning that the printed unit does not present magnetic character in the absence of external stimulus.