Abstract
In this paper, the effects of build parameters on the mechanical properties of 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) produced using fused deposition modeling (FDM) are investigated. Full factorial experimental design incorporating a 2-level, 3-factor design with raster angle, layer thickness and interior fill style was carried out. Tensile tests were performed at four different strain rates to determine how the build parameters influence the mechanical properties of the 3-D printed ABS and to assess its strain rate sensitivity under quasi-static loading. It was found that the modulus of toughness of ABS material is most influenced by raster angle, while the interior fill style is the most dominant build parameter that dictates the specimen’s modulus of resilience, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. At all strain rates, it is further revealed that higher mean values of yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and modulus of resilience were obtained when the interior fill style is solid as opposed to high density. This can be attributed to the denser structure and higher effective cross-sectional area in solid interior fill style in comparison with high density interior fill style. However, the influence of the layer thickness on the investigated mechanical properties was found to be inconsistent. It was noted that specimens built with both 0.254 mm layer thickness and the cross [0°/90°] raster angle had superior mechanical properties when compared to those built with the 0.3302 mm layer thickness and cross [0°/90°] raster angle. This suggests that there is a key interaction between the layer thickness and the raster angle. At any FDM build parameter, it was found that all the mechanical properties investigated in this work exhibited modest sensitivity to strain rates. This study has provided a platform for an appropriate selection of build parameters combinations and strain rates for additive manufacturing of 3D-printed ABS with improved mechanical properties.
Highlights
The ever-increasing demand for the development of new performance materials is attracting unprecedented renewed research interests in materials science
In Griffiths et al [36], the ultimate tensile strength that was obtained with 100% infill build parameter is similar to that of the present work where the highest ultimate tensile strength was obtained with solid interior fill style
Their tensile test results showed that acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) samples printed with 0.200 mm layer thickness exhibited higher ultimate tensile strength compared with 0.400 mm layer thickness
Summary
The ever-increasing demand for the development of new performance materials is attracting unprecedented renewed research interests in materials science. The rapid production of critical machine components and complex structures with high precision, at minimal cost, and with the required service properties may not be feasible by the conventional manufacturing techniques [1]-[8]. This was a strong motivation for the emergence of Additive Manufacturing (AM). According to [14], AM market has been projected to grow to $3.5 billion in 2017 and to approximately $10 billion in 2022.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
