Effect of process parameters on mechanical properties of VeroBlue material and their optimal selection in PolyJet technology

Abstract

PolyJet technology is one of the additive manufacturing technologies, which can produce complex geometries with variety of textures. The 3D printed complex geometry parts need better mechanical behaviour. The mechanical properties of a fabricated product depend on several process parameters such as build orientation, layer thickness, material and surface finish. This paper aims to study the effect of printing mode and type of surface finish on the mechanical properties of VeroBlue material used in PolyJet technology. The tensile, flexural and shore hardness tests are carried out to determine the mechanical response of the fabricated specimen. Four different combinations are derived from printing mode (high quality (HQ) and high speed (HS)) and finish type (matte (M) and glossy (G)). Findings indicate the HS-G specimens have better mechanical property and are faster in production and cheaper than HQ-M, HQ-G and HS-M. Highest average tensile strength of the HS-G (49.77 MPa) is deviated by 11.19% from standard value. Tensile specimens of HS-G save 60.86% of printing time and 14.72% of cost than HQ-G. This research paper provides a unique way of meeting optimal selection process parameters. Finally, a case study was carried out for the selected application with optimized process parameters.