초록
In this paper, the performances of the electrical characteristics of the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printed flexible resistance sensor was evaluated. The FDM 3D printing flexible resistive sensor is composed of flexible-material thermoplastic polyurethane and a conductive PLA (carbon black conductive polylactic acid) polymer. While 3D printing, polymer filaments heat up quickly before being extruded and cooled down quickly. Polymers have poor thermal conductivity so the heating and cooling causes unevenness, which then results in internal stress on the printed parts due to the rapidity of the heating and cooling. Electrical resistance measurements show that the 3D-printed flexible sensor is unstable due to internal stress, so the 3D-printed flexible sensor resistance curve does not match the increases and decreases in the displacement curve. Therefore, annealing was performed to eliminate the mismatch between electrical resistance and displacement. Annealing eliminates residual stress on the sensor, so the electrical resistance of the sensor increases and decreases in proportion to displacement. Additionally, the resistance is lowered in comparison to before annealing. The results of this study will be very useful for the fabrication of various devices that employ 3D-printed flexible sensor that have multiple degrees of freedom and are not limited by size and shape.