Mechanical properties evaluation of FFF-printed ABS samples based on different process parameters combined with ANOVA and regression analysis

Abstract

The fused fabrication process (FFF), is one of the most popular additive manufacturing technologies used for prototyping and production applications. On the other hand, poor mechanical characteristics significantly impact the application of FFF parts, and a variety of process parameters can influence the effectiveness of parts produced with FFF. Infill density, layer thickness, print speed, and extrusion temperature are the essential FFF parameters for fabricating parts and the dimensional integrity of printed specimens. This research aims to examine the functional performance of ABS fabricated through FFF. The study’s various variables include extrusion temperature (230°C, 240°C, and 220°C), feed rate (20, 35, and 50 mm/s), and layer height (0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 mm). Based on various combinations, elongation at break, energy, tensile strength, and compressive strength will be assessed. The measured lowest tensile and compressive strengths are 25.252 and 38.52 MPa, respectively, and highest tensile and compressive strengths are 33.96 and 185.94 MPa, respectively. As a result, changing the different process variables increases tensile strength by 34.49% and compressive strength by 382.71%. Fractography analysis is also performed to understand the failure modes of specimens, indicating pulling, necking, failure of raster’s, and voids for the considered specimens. To examine the dependency and relationship of the tensile and compressive strength on the process parameters, statistical analysis is performed using ANOVA, Taguchi’s L27 array design of experiment, and regression analysis. It indicates that layer height has the most significant influence on tensile and compressive strength, followed by extrusion temperature and feed rate.