ABS Polymer Research Articles

Elasticity and plasticity of PLA, PETG, ABS polymers for printing automotive parts

The objective of this paper is to explore the elasticity and plasticity properties of PLA, PETG and ABS polymers in the context of 3D printing of automotive parts. The present research is qualitative, descriptive, focusing on the theoretical analysis of the mechanical properties of PLA, PETG and ABS polymers, which is based on the collection of information from different authors. An analysis of the properties of these polymers is very significant for their application in the automotive industry, allowing a correct selection of materials. The research found very important data, highlighting that PLA, with its high stiffness and low plasticity, is ideal for prototypes and low-stress parts, while PETG offers a balance between flexibility and strength, suitable for functional components that require durability. ABS, known for its high impact strength and ductility, is recommended for applications that demand shock absorption and durability under demanding conditions. Selecting the right material is crucial to optimize the performance and longevity of 3D printed automotive parts, contributing to the advancement of additive manufacturing technology in the industry.

Preparation of expandable polystyrene/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene by multi-stage initiator dosing with the application of artificial neural networks

By increasing usage of polymers, environmental problems for them increase. The polymers that after usage, contribute to these issues, their preparation process may generate wastage, that affects production. In the production of expandable polystyrene (EPS), several batches on batch were discharged due to disruption in suspension, and the presence of these wastages in the production place can cause problems. This study tries to introduce a new polymer with special features by mixing different percentages of this polymer (10, 20, 30) with ABS polymer. According to the fact that disarray can occur in 60, 63, 66, and 69% of the polymerization, the polymerization continued until those percentages and then mixed with ABS. Different tests (like: Elongation at break, yellow index, Modular melt flow, Impact test, and Vicat softening temperature) was performed for mixed polymer. The results show that in some materials the quality of the mixed polymer may decrease but it is still in an acceptable range. The Multi-Layer Perceptron method of Artificial Neural Networks has been used in order to simulate data that has not been tested.

Enhancing thermal transport in ABS polymer with graphene oxide: Insights into low-temperature thermal conductivity behavior and correlation with Boson peak anomaly

The thermal conductivity of pure ABS polymer and ABS polymer composite with 0.5 wt% of the thermally reduced graphene oxide (trGO) was measured in a wide temperature range from 2 to 100 K. Adding 0.5 % trGO enhanced the thermal conductivity of ABS polymer by 1.5 times over the entire temperature range. A comparison of the thermal conductivity of ABS and epoxy-resin amorphous polymers and structural glasses shows that it is closely related to the concept of minimal thermal conductivity, which is determined by the intrinsic phonon scattering and the coherence contribution to the thermal conductivity in the material. The temperature dependence of the coherence contribution to the thermal conductivity, related to wave-like tunneling and loss of coherence between different vibrational eigenstates, was approximated by the exponential function of an Arrhenius type with characteristic energy E and a pre-exponential coefficient κ0. A proportional correlation was found between the low-temperature anomaly of the heat capacity, named the calorimetric Boson peak, and the high-temperature behavior of thermal conductivity of amorphous polymers and structural glasses. Thus, this study provides new physical information about the thermal conductivity in disordered materials and indicates a universality of its temperature dependence.

RESEARCH INTO 3D PRINTING LAYER ADHESION IN ABS MATERIALS

The purpose of this article is to determine the impact of the two factors – layer thickness and printing speed in the adhesion of the layers in the ABS polymer. ABS control test tubes were printed and the tensile strength of each tube was measured. By means of statistical analysis, it was determined the impact of the layer thickness and the print speed on the adhesion between the layers. The research was focused on one of the most used materials in 3D printing. It can be concluded from the obtained results that the layer thickness has the greatest impact on the adhesion.

Additive manufacturing of customized automotive components using novel cellulose fiber reinforced abs polymer filament

Additive manufacturing of customized automotive components using novel cellulose fiber reinforced abs polymer filament

Compatibilized PC/ABS blends from solvent recycled PC and ABS polymers from electronic equipment waste

This study encompasses the development of high-performance PC/ABS blends utilizing recycled PC (r-PC) and recycled ABS (r-ABS) polymers from waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) fractions heavily contaminated by flame retardants (FRs). Upgrading of mechanical properties was facilitated by addition of virgin ABS and additives. In total three different WEEE fractions -containing high concentrations of bromine, chloride and phosphorous were purified from polymers other than PC and decontaminated from halogenated contaminants by dissolution-precipitation CreaSolv® Process. In two studied cases the WEEE fractions were optically pre-sorted for PC before purification and decontamination. Gas chromatography (GC-ECD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyses were performed to validate efficient removal of contaminants from r-PC.The targeted mechanical properties of polymers to upgrade are notched impact strength and elastic moduli. Upgrading was achieved by using the suitable compatibilizers, and, optionally by a chain extender. First, small-scale laboratory screening test series were conducted for three compatibilizers and different ABS polymers based on micro-compounding experiments. Upscaling test series based on the pre-screening data was then organized on a conventional bench scale twin-screw extruder.SEM microstructural characterizations of the blend morphology and fractured surfaces are done to correlate structure to the mechanical properties.Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Rheological Dynamic Analysis (RDA) and Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) provided some insight to the chain branching and molecular weight distribution of r-PC, respectively. Moreover, melt rheology and solid-state mechanical properties of the compatibilized r-PC/ABS blend were thoroughly investigated.Addition of virgin ABS polymer and a suitable compatibilizer enhance the properties of the recycled PC/ABS 60/40 blends towards virgin-like, allowing easily >55% r-PC content, or in favourable cases much higher than 75% recycled polymer content when applying significant concentration of recycled ABS from CreaSolv® together with some virgin ABS.

Machine learning-assisted optimization of TBBPA-bis-(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) extraction process from ABS polymer

The increasing amount of e-waste plastics needs to be disposed of properly, and removing the brominated flame retardants contained in them can effectively reduce their negative impact on the environment. In the present work, TBBPA-bis-(2,3-dibromopropyl ether) (TBBPA-DBP), a novel brominated flame retardant, was extracted by ultrasonic-assisted solvothermal extraction process. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) achieved by machine learning (support vector regression, SVR) was employed to estimate the optimum extraction conditions (extraction time, extraction temperature, liquid to solid ratio) in methanol or ethanol solvent. The predicted optimum conditions of TBBPA-DBP were 96 min, 131 mL g−1, 65 °C, in MeOH, and 120 min, 152 mL g−1, 67 °C in EtOH. And the validity of predicted conditions was verified.

DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE SIMULATION OF STRUCTURED MICROWAVE ABSORBER BASED ON CONDUCTIVE ABS 3D PRINTING FILAMENT

Electromagnetic absorbing materials with broadband, lightweight, wide-angle, and polarization-insensitive characteristics attracts extensive research interest recently, due to rapid advancement in radar detection techniques and communication devices. Three-dimensional printing is being employed to realize cost-effective structured electromagnetic absorbers that has lately become a common practice of improving radar stealth performance and shielding effectiveness. Structured absorbers permit realization of desired absorption characteristics by careful design of their geometrical structures. In this study, a two-layer structured microwave absorber using conductive ABS polymer is simulated. COMSOL Multiphysics environment is used to investigate the absorption characteristics of the designed structure. Under normal incidence, simulation results revealed at least 90% of absorption from 7.2 GHz to 18.0 GHz for both Transverse Electric (TE) and Transverse Magnetic (TM) polarizations. Oblique incidence results for TE polarization indicate that the absorption rate is more than 90% in the whole range of 7.2–18 GHz frequency band up to 450 while the absorption rate is more than 80% for 600 incident waves. The absorption rate is more than 90% in the 7.2-18 GHz range for oblique incidences of up to 300 only for TM polarization, but greater than 70% at 450 incident angles. Additionally, the designed absorber is independent of the polarization of the incident wave. As a result of the exhibited favourable absorption characteristics, the studied absorber provides great potentials for its experimentation and practicability using the low-cost 3D printing manufacturing process

High-cycle bending fatigue properties of additive-manufactured ABS and PLA polymers fabricated by fused deposition modeling 3D-printing

Nowadays, polymer parts made by additive manufacturing methods (AM) have multiple applications in various industries. Different parameters affect the print quality of the parts and subsequently their mechanical properties. In this study, the effect of the print direction in 3D-printing on the high-cycle bending fatigue properties of polymer parts made by the fused deposition modeling (FDM) method has been investigated. The standard samples of the fatigue test were printed in both horizontal and vertical directions and were made of two polymers, PLA and ABS. The thickness of each layer was 0.15 mm and the infill percentage of the parts was 50%. The rotary bending fatigue test was performed under conditions of fully-reversed stress-controlled loading at different stress levels. The results included the stress amplitude versus the fatigue lifetime of FDM 3D-printed PLA and ABS polymers. Besides, the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image of the fracture surface was also depicted after fatigue testing. Results showed that PLA specimens had better fatigue lifetimes than ones of ABS samples. Moreover, the fatigue strength of 3D-printed samples in the horizontal direction was higher than that of 3D-printed specimens in the vertical direction. The print direction, the material and the stress level were found to be statistically significant factors from the analysis of variances. The SEM image demonstrated beach marks on the fracture surface of fibers (3D-printed filaments) in the PLA specimen, which proved cyclic loadings. Then, cleavage facets were the result of the brittle fracture.

Numerical Simulation Considering Volume Change in Plastic Behavior of ABS Polymer

Numerical Simulation Considering Volume Change in Plastic Behavior of ABS Polymer

Low pressure cold spraying of TiO2 on acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

The deposition mechanism of low-pressure cold spraying of ceramics on polymeric substrates is still unclear. In the presented study titanium dioxide powders were self-synthesized on the sol-gel route and deposited on ABS polymer by low pressure cold spraying. Three variants of powders that differ in the structure were prepared: amorphous powder, anatase, and the mixture of them. The hard crystalline anatase particles, formed by the sintering of amorphous powder, penetrate the polymer mainly via aggregates fragmentation. As a result of delivering excessive energy, the polymer and coating are subjected to erosion. Increasing the working gas temperature or substrate pretreatment via grit-blasting only reduces deposition efficiency. The use of soft amorphous titanium dioxide agglomerates, an example of soft ceramics containing several pores, are characterized by relatively lower energy, allows to reduce the erosion of the substrate, and leads to the satisfactory coating of the untreated substrate material. After all, the performed analysis of topography and cross-sections shows that the highest deposition efficiency was obtained by using a lower working gas temperature (200 °C) and this applies to all types of used powers.

Is the Viscoelastic Sheet for Slamming Impact Ready to Be Used on Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic Planning Hull?

Planing hull vessel built with polymer matrix laminates and fiberglass reinforcements (GFRP) suffer structural damage due to the phenomenon of slamming during navigation, due to the impact of the boat hull on the free surface of the water at high speed. A modification in the manufacture of the laminates for these fast boats is proposed, consisting of the insertion of an additional layer of a hybrid material, formed by elastomer encapsulated in an ABS polymer cell. Using GFRP specimens made from pre-impregnated material and reproducing the characteristic impacts of slamming, it is possible to compare the modified material with the introduction of the viscoelastic layers with the response under the same conditions as the unmodified laminates. Additionally, the panels have been tested using impacts due to weight drop at different energies, which allow determining the material damage threshold as a function of the energy absorbed, and to establish a comparison with the GFRP panels modified by observation in fluorescent light. It is verified that the proposal to reduce the effect of these impacts on the generation of damage to the material and its progression throughout the service life of the vessel is effective.

Rheological Investigation of Relaxation Behavior of Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Blends.

The rheological properties of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) blends with various blend ratios are investigated at different temperatures to determine the shear dependent chain motions in a heterogeneous blend system. At low frequency levels under 0.1 rad/s, the viscosity of the material with a blend ratio of 3:7 (PC:ABS) is higher than that of pure ABS polymer. As the temperature increases, the viscosities of ABS-rich blends increase rather than decrease, whereas PC-rich blends exhibit decrease in viscosity. Results from the time sweep measurements indicate that ordered structures of PC and the formation and breakdown of internal network structures of ABS polymer occur simultaneously in the blend systems. Newly designed sequence test results show that the internal structures formed between PC and ABS polymers are dominant at low shear conditions for the blend ratio of 3:7 and effects of structural change and the presence of polybutadiene (PBD) become dominant at high shear conditions for pure ABS. The results of yield stress and relaxation time for PC/ABS blends support this phenomenon. The specimen with a blend ratio of 3:7 exhibited the highest value of yield stress at high temperature among others, which implies that the internal structure become stronger at higher temperature. The heterogeneity of ABS-rich blends increases whereas that of PC-rich blends decreases as temperature increases.

Thermo-mechanical degradation in ABS-Fe3O4 polymer nanocomposite due to repeated electromagnetic heating

The reinforcement of conductive nano-/micro-fillers in thermoplastic polymers allows for rapid heating upon exposure to electromagnetic (EM) radiation. This phenomenon has been used to create reversible adhesives that allow bonding/removal of substrates via controlled EM exposure.This process of repeated heating/cooling can introduce thermal and mechanical degradation, which is not well understood. In this work, ferromagnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4) were embedded in ABS polymer using melt-processing. The resulting polymers were subjected to EM heating with varying exposure time and multiple heat/cool cycles. TGA and FTIR spectroscopy were conducted to understand the extent of thermomechanical degradation. Tensile and Izod impact tests were performed on samples post EMI exposure and compared with control samples (no EMI exposure) to understand the effects of degradation. Results indicate that prolonged exposure to induction heating reduces the overall mechanical properties of the reversible polymer. However, repeated heating of ABS/Fe3O4 nanocomposites within the melting temperature only effects the ductility, and is attributed to loss of the toughening agent butadiene. Overall, the study creates a first benchmark for a possible path to control EM heating to prevent thermomechanical degradation of reversible thermoplastics.

Reducing Cost of Walking w ith Fused Deposition Modelling Rendering Point Cloud Data

In the present work, FDM technique has been used over the traditional plaster moulding technique. ABS polymer was used in the fabrication of the AFO. The main focus has been done on finding an easy method to fabricate AFO. A healthy subject of 24 years of age was taken and his lower limb was scanned. Custom AFO 's are traditionally manufactured using plaster moulding that requires multiple patient visits and extensive labour and production time. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) technique has been used in the present work to produce the AFO, which helps with custom fitting, reduces costs, has good strength bearing properties and requires fewer patient visits. Analysis of the parameters and their impact on the time and cost of production of AFO was conducted. A layer height of 0.2mm was used with an infill density of 25% and with a speed of 50mm/sec of nozzle was used. The cost of the AFO using ABS came out to be 271.625 Indian rupees which is way less than 600-100 Indian Rupess used in traditional plaster moulding technique.

Rheological measurement of the nonlinear viscoelasticity of the ABS polymer and numerical simulation of thermoforming process

The thickness distribution of thermoformed products is greatly affected by the viscoelastic behavior of the extruded polymer sheet. In this work, linear and nonlinear rheological experiments are carried out to characterize the viscoelastic properties of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene sheets under thermoforming conditions including a wide range of temperatures, strains, and strain rates. First, aspects of linear viscoelasticity such as the storage modulus and loss modulus are measured by small-amplitude oscillatory shear experiments. The discrete relaxation spectra and the Williams-Landel-Ferry parameters are obtained from the constructed linear master curves. Then, nonlinear time-dependent extensional viscosity is measured by uniaxial extensional experiments. The parameters of the damping function are evaluated using an optimization method. In addition, the effect of the orientation of the polymer is analyzed. The uniaxial extensional stress and viscosity in the extruder direction demonstrate higher resistance against tearing and extreme thickness reduction during processing. Finally, the linear and nonlinear input parameters for the numerical simulation are prepared. Numerical simulations are performed using the Wagner model with the obtained nonlinear viscoelasticity. The thickness distribution in thermoformed ABS sheets, obtained numerically, shows good agreement with the experimentally obtained values.

4D pine scale: biomimetic 4D printed autonomous scale and flap structures capable of multi-phase movement.

We developed biomimetic hygro-responsive composite polymer scales inspired by the reversible shape-changes of Bhutan pine (Pinus wallichiana) cone seed scales. The synthetic kinematic response is made possible through novel four-dimensional (4D) printing techniques with anisotropic material use, namely copolymers with embedded cellulose fibrils and ABS polymer. Multi-phase motion like the subsequent transversal and longitudinal bending deformation during desiccation of a natural pinecone scale can be structurally programmed into such printed hygromorphs. Both the natural concept generator (Bhutan pinecone scale) and the biomimetic technical structure (4D printed scale) were comparatively investigated as to their displacement and strain over time via three-dimensional digital image correlation methods. Our bioinspired prototypes can be the basis for tailored autonomous and self-sufficient flap and scale structures performing complex consecutive motions for technical applications, e.g. in architecture and soft robotics. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bioinspired materials and surfaces for green science and technology (part 3)'.

Destruction of ABS Polymer in the Glass State under Dynamic Stressing

This article describes the experimental and theoretical studies of the mechanisms of failure of ABS polymer in the range of strain rates of 10–4–103 s–1 at different temperatures of testing (from an ambient temperature of 23 to 100°C). The alteration of the type of failure as a function of the strain rate and temperature is analyzed. Based on the structure–time approach, a model of the temperature–rate superposition is proposed.

A Fuzzy Logic Control System for a Robotic Hand Driven by Shape Memory Alloy Wires

This paper presents a robotic hand using wires with shape memory (NiTi) as non-conventional actuators. The mechanical structure of the robot hand was first designed by means of a CAD computer program and afterwards 3D printed using ABS polymer. The robotic hand was designed according to the physiological characteristics of the human hand, with particular attention to the angles formed by the phalanges of the fingers. A mechanical system accommodates the thin NiTi wires compactly, thus forming an artificial muscle. A fuzzy logic based control system allows an accurate positioning of each phalanx. The contribution of the present work to science lies in the practical implementation of known techniques and materials.

A Fuzzy Logic Control System for a Robotic Hand Driven by Shape Memory Alloy Wires

This paper presents a robotic hand using wires with shape memory (NiTi) as non-conventional actuators. The mechanical structure of the robot hand was first designed by means of a CAD computer program and afterwards 3D printed using ABS polymer. The robotic hand was designed according to the physiological characteristics of the human hand, with particular attention to the angles formed by the phalanges of the fingers. A mechanical system accommodates the thin NiTi wires compactly, thus forming an artificial muscle. A fuzzy logic based control system allows an accurate positioning of each phalanx. The contribution of the present work to science lies in the practical implementation of known techniques and materials.