Studying the effect of chemical treatment and fused deposition modelling process parameters on surface roughness to make acrylonitrile butadiene styrene patterns for investment casting process

Abstract

The surface finish of a pattern is vital in any casting process. The mould replicates whatever kind of surface condition the master pattern offers. Therefore, to produce castings with good surface finish, the master pattern made by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) must have better surface quality. However, in the FDM process, the surface finish of the parts produced is found to be inferior as compared to wax. To enhance its surface quality, different attempts have been made by several researchers by controlling different process parameters. In this study, an attempt has been made to observe the influence of chemical treatment and FDM process parameters on surface roughness of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) patterns to be used for investment casting. Design of Experiments (DOE) and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to statistically analyse the significant parameters and their interactions. From the analysis, the best process parameters were predicted. Results also showed that substantial improvement in surface quality of FDM patterns can be obtained with simple inexpensive chemical treatments.