Concerning the rheological problems affecting the quality of composite filament in metal fused filament fabrication, Firstly, self-made three types of 17-4PH stainless steel powder/polymer composite filaments with different high filling rate were studied in this paper, rapid prototyping equipment was used to conduct molding research on green samples, and the formability conditions of the composite filaments were canalized. Secondly, the pressure drop of the molten composite filament with different metal powder filling ratio during the shaping process was measured by the self-constructed experimental platform, and the test results of the relevant rheological properties were analyzed. Thirdly, an rheological property model of the molten material was established, and the theoretical analysis on the corresponding characteristic parameters was completed. Through the comparison between the theoretical and experimental results, the correctness of the theoretical model was verified, and the mechanism of the rheological properties of molten materlals were elucidated. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was carried out on the analytical model to investigate the influence of processing parameters on rheological property. The results show that the self-made composite filament can be used to form good-quality green samples; the rheological property parameters of the molten material gradually increase with the increasing filling ratio of the metal powder; the theoretical and experimental results are in good agreement, validating the correctness of the analytical model; the nozzle diameter has the most significant effect on the melt flow behavior of the molten material in the discussed parameter ranges, followed by the building speed, while the effect of the molten temperature is relatively weak.
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