Surface Functionalisation of Thermoplastic Composite Powders with Nano-Fillers

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

The development of thermoplastic composite materials containing nano-functional fillers is often limited by poor dispersion, agglomeration and weak integration of fillers within the polymer system. Conventional dry blending, melt compounding and post-addition techniques can struggle to deliver consistent particle-level distribution, particularly where powders must retain reliable flow, processability and reproducible performance.

Rapid Powders has developed a patented particle-engineering process for coating thermoplastic polymer powders with selected functional fillers and bonding them strongly to the polymer particle surface. This presentation will discuss the importance of filler dispersion, interfacial bonding, particle morphology and thermal history, illustrated with examples including graphene-modified PA12 SLS powders, electrically conductive powders for SLS and consolidation into monolithic materials, and composite powder systems incorporating fillers such as carbon black, ceramics, glass and other nano-functional additives.

With a working pilot plant capable of producing development batches from 200 g to 30 kg, Rapid Powders is operating at TRL 6/7 and supports application testing, process validation and scale-up with industrial partners.