Dr. Safaa Khairy Jaaz and Prof. Dr. Haider Moaz Muhammad, lecturers at the College of Engineering, University of Basra, Department of Materials Engineering, in cooperation with Dr. Alaa Mazloum Mahdi and Lecturer Wasan Abdullah Fadhel, lecturers at the Southern Technical University and delegates at the Energy Research Center in Budapest/Hungary, published a scientific research entitled (Evaluation of Surface Roughness of 3D Printed Objects) in the journal (3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing), which is one of the prestigious international journals in the first quarter in Scopus containers and has an impact factor of 2.3.
The research dealt with the use of Nanoclay to improve the surface properties of materials manufactured using the 3D manufacturing method 3Printing using Laser Sintering technology in addition to the effect of the laser power used (CO2). Samples were manufactured using Polyamide 12 (PA12) and its compounds, and the surface roughness of both the upper and lower surfaces was measured. The research team used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface roughness measurement to analyze surface properties, such as roughness, solubility, and homogeneity of Nanoclay particles distribution in the molten polymer matrix. The results demonstrated the importance of Nanoclay as a surface quality enhancing material. Nanoclay interacts with polymer particles via physical and chemical bonds, increasing the density of particle packs within the printed material, thus reducing surface roughness. The study demonstrated that adding Nanoclay to the polymer powder used in the selective laser technology, with optimal laser power adjustment, leads to significant improvement in surface properties.