Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Resin Research Articles

Graphene reinforced 3D printed polymer nanocomposites for diverse applications

The use of 3D printing in robotics has a lot of potential, and the technology is rapidly gaining traction in a variety of industries. Additive manufacturing has expanded into new areas thanks to the availability of a wide range of printing resources and fabrication methods. Moreover, the properties of the printed materials can be improved by incorporating nanoparticles. We used a stereo lithography equipment apparatus(SLA) to print nanocomposites and put them through various tests to determine the characteristics of a polymer based on Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) and varying concentrations of graphene (Gr). Including S1 (pure ABS resin), S2 (ABS resin with 0.1 % Gr), S3 (ABS resin with 0.3 % Gr), and S4 (ABS resin with 0.5 % Gr), we created a total of four types of materials. Tensile, bending, compression, hardness tests, and many others, are used for mechanical testing purposes on all specimen kinds. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy were used for morphological study. The S2 sample (ABS resin with 0.1 % Gr) performed exceptionally well in every mechanical test. When 0.1 % Gr was added, the tensile, bending, and compressive strength were much improved, whereas in the bending test, S2 showed the greatest results, withstanding stress up to 47 N/mm2 and displaying a strain of 12 %, which contains 0.1 % graphene and There, we were able to notice that the compression stress varied from 13.3 N/mm2 to 18.3 N/mm2 whereas sample S2 (ABS resin with 0.1 % graphene) demonstrated the best compressive strength. The SEM and EDX analysis of S2 revealed remarkable properties, such as a surface structure devoid of fractures, pores, and cavities and substantial carbon stretching in almost all samples obtained by FTIR. TGA results showed that under heating conditions, all samples had essentially the same characteristics and showed essential signs of crystallization in XRD analysis.

A Comprehensive Mechanical Examination of ABS and ABS-like Polymers Additively Manufactured by Material Extrusion and Vat Photopolymerization Processes.

Additive manufacturing technologies have developed rapidly in recent decades, pushing the limits of known manufacturing processes. The need to study the properties of the different materials used for these processes comprehensively and in detail has become a primary goal in order to get the best out of the manufacturing itself. The widely used thermoplastic polymer material acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was selected in the form of both filaments and ABS-like resins to investigate and compare the mechanical properties through a series of different tests. ABS-like resin material is commercially available, but it is not a sufficiently mechanically studied form of the material, which leads to the rather limited literature. Considering that ABS resin is a declared material that behaves like the ABS filament but in a different form, the objective of this study was to compare these two commercially available materials printed with three different 3D printers, namely Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), Stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Processing (DLP). A total of 45 test specimens with geometries and test protocols conforming to the relevant standards were subjected to a series of tensile, three-point bending and compression tests to determine their mechanical properties. Characterization also included evaluation of morphology with 2D and 3D microscopy, dimensional accuracy of 3D scans, and Shore A hardness of each material and 3D printing process. Tensile testing results have shown that FDM toughness is 40% of the value for DLP. FDM elongation at break is 37% of DLP, while ultimate tensile stress for SLA is 27% higher than FDM value. Elastic modulus for FDM and SLA coincide. Flexure testing results indicate that value of DLP flexural modulus is 54% of the FDM value. SLA strain value is 59% of FDM, and DLP ultimate flexure stress is 77% of the value for FDM. Compression test results imply that FDM specimens absorb at least twice as much energy as vat polymerized specimens. Strain at break for SLA is 72% and strain at ultimate stress is 60% of FDM values. FDM yield stress is 32% higher than DLP value. SLA ultimate compressive stress is half of FDM, while value for DLP compressive modulus is 69% of the FDM value. The results obtained are beneficial and give a more comprehensive picture of the behavior of the ABS polymers used in different forms and different AM processes.

Quantification of microplastic by particle size down to 1.1 μm in surface road dust in an urban city, Japan

The impact of microplastics (MPs, plastic particles ≤5 mm) on ecosystems is of great concern. Road surfaces represent a significant source of MPs where plastic fragments are physically and chemically reduced to MPs. However, the literature lacks information on fragmentation tendencies below 11 μm. This study aimed to characterize the occurrence of MPs in road dust in different size fractions down to 1.1 μm. Road dust was collected at five sites near a major road in Kusatsu city, Japan, and partitioned by size into 13 fractions (1.1–850 μm). The coarser fractions accounted for a greater proportion of the dust. The percentage of organic matter, determined by loss on ignition, increased as the fractions became finer. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to quantify 12 types of polymers in each fraction. The dust was found to contain nine types of MP, namely, polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), styrene/butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene resin (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), and polyamide 66 (PA66). The total MP concentration in road dust particles by particle size fraction (concentrationf) began to increase from the 125–250 μm fraction and remained elevated in finer fractions down to 1.1 μm, indicating that MPs in the road dust micronized to at least 1.1 μm. However, for individual polymer types, the tendency for concentrationf to increase or decrease with particle size fraction varied: the concentrationf of some polymers, such as PE and PVC, remained elevated in fractions down to 1.1 μm; the concentrationf of SBR, a rubber-MP, showed a stable or decreasing trend in fractions of 7.0–11 μm and finer. Particles of PE, PVC, and some other plastics might become increasingly finer, even down to 1.1 μm. Further research is needed to understand the comminution limits of these polymers under pertinent environmental conditions.

In vivo mutagenicity assessment of styrene in MutaMouse liver and lung

BackgroundStyrene (CAS 100-42-5) is widely used as polystyrene and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene resin such as plastic, rubber, and paint. One of the primary uses of styrene is food utensils and containers, but a small amount of styrene transferred into food can be ingested by eating. Styrene is metabolized into styrene 7,8-oxide (SO). SO is mutagenic in bacteria and mouse lymphoma assays. It is clastogenic in cultured mammalian cells. However, styrene and SO are not clastogenic/aneugenic in rodents, and no rodent in vivo gene mutation studies were identified.MethodsTo investigate the mutagenicity of orally administered styrene, we used the transgenic rodent gene mutation assay to perform an in vivo mutagenicity test (OECD TG488). The transgenic MutaMouse was given styrene orally at doses of 0 (corn oil; negative control), 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg/day for 28 days, and mutant frequencies (MFs) were determined using the lacZ assay in the liver and lung (five male mice/group).ResultsThere were no significant differences in the MFs of the liver and lung up to 300 mg/kg/day (close to maximum tolerable dose (MTD)), when one animal with extremely high MFs that were attributed to an incidental clonal mutation was omitted. Positive and negative controls produced the expected results.ConclusionsThese findings show that styrene is not mutagenic in the liver and lung of MutaMouse under this experimental condition.

Energy-Consumption-Based Life Cycle Assessment of Additive-Manufactured Product with Different Types of Materials.

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing technology is one of the preferred methods to ensure sustainability in fabrication. In addition to providing continuity in sustainability, fabrication, and diversity, it aims to improve people's quality of life, develop the economy, and protect the environment and resources for future generations. In this study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) method was used to determine whether a product fabricated by the AM provides tangible benefits compared to traditional fabrication methodologies. LCA is an evaluation method that provides information on resource efficiency and waste generation, where the environmental impacts of a process can be calculated, measured, and reported throughout the entire life cycle, starting from the acquisition of raw materials, processing, fabrication, use, end of life, and disposal, according to ISO 14040/44 standards. This study examines the environmental impacts of the three most preferred filaments and resin materials in the AM for a 3D-printed product from the start, which consists of three stages. These stages are raw material extraction, manufacturing, and recycling. Filament material types are Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polylactic Acid (PLA), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PETG), and Ultraviolet (UV) Resin. The fabrication process was carried out with Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Stereolithography (SLA) techniques using a 3D printer. Environmental impacts for all identified steps were estimated over the life cycle using the energy consumption model. As a result of the LCA, it was seen that UV Resin was the most environmentally friendly material in the mid-point and end-point indicators. It has been determined that the ABS material also exhibits bad results on many indicators and is the least environmentally friendly. The results support those working with AM in comparing different materials' environmental impacts and choosing an environmentally friendly material.

Reconstruction and fire risk assessment of arc‐tracking at a plug‐outlet connection point

SummaryPolyvinyl chloride (PVC), a typical plug insulating material, is an organic material with high tracking resistance. However, the tracking resistance of PVC gets considerably reduced by thermal degradation. In this study, a phenol resin with low tracking resistance was implanted between plug blades as an insulating material that simulated the thermally degraded insulating material of the plug, and a method that could efficiently and reliably reconstruct the arc‐tracking was proposed. Also, arc‐tracking experiments using the proposed method were conducted to evaluate fire risk at the plug‐outlet connection caused by arc‐tracking. To reconstruct the end state of insulation failure in which the tracking resistance of the plug insulation material deteriorated due to thermal degradation, the insulation material between the blades of a 12 A, 125 V rated PVC plug was cut out. Then, a phenol resin piece (6 or 3 mm width) was implanted in the entire, upper or lower halves between the plug blades. The end state of insulation failure was accelerated by applying carbon grease to the phenol resin surface. The implanted plug was inserted into a 15 A, 125 V rated outlet connected to a 100 V AC commercial power supply, and the arc‐tracking at the plug‐outlet connection was observed. When the width of the phenol resin to be implanted was 3 mm, we found that the outlet plate and plug could ignite due to the longer electrical discharge duration. The plug was often extinguished immediately after the end of the electrical discharge due to the self‐extinguishing properties of PVC, but when an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin outlet plate ignited, the combustion continued for several minutes. Even though PVCs have self‐extinguishing properties, they burn temporarily during arc‐tracking. From the results, the flame from the electric fire outbreak is believed to spread to the outlet plate and eventually developed into a fire.

Influence and Effect of Pyrolysis with Additives in Tantalum Capacitors

In recent years, the demand for tantalum capacitors has been increasing due to the miniaturization of electronic devices. Tantalum capacitors, which use the rare metal tantalum as the capacitor element, are used in electronic devices such as cell phones because they are smaller and have a higher capacity than conventional capacitors. In Japan, there are reports that minerals containing rare elements are being extracted from discarded electronic and electrical equipment to produce medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. In Japan, many used electrical products containing rare elements are discarded, and these metals are called urban mines. The tantalum contained in tantalum capacitors accounts for 40% of the total mass of the sintered material and is expected to be recycled from discarded products. However, tantalum capacitors are covered with a hard mold resin of acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resin, which is chemically and physically stable. However, due to its nature, ABS resin is difficult to destroy and has not been recycled. In this study, hydrotalcite (HT) (Mg6Al2(OH)16CO3・MH2O) was used to extract tantalum from the sintered tantalum capacitor by pyrolysis. HT was added to the tantalum capacitor and placed in a metal reactor and subjected to pyrolysis at 550℃ in nitrogen to determine if the sintered tantalum was susceptible to fracture. It is presumed that the bromine gas generated from the ABS resin of the tantalum capacitor was trapped by the HT and the mold resin of the capacitor became residual carbon.

A three-dimensional (3D) printing approach to fabricate an isolation chip for high throughput in situ cultivation of environmental microbes.

The full plethora of environmental bacteria is often poorly represented in vitro as the majority remain difficult, if not impossible, to culture under standard laboratory settings. These bacteria often require native conditions for the formation of cell masses that collectively have higher chances of survival. With that, a 3D-printed version of the isolation chip (iChip) was used to cultivate bacteria from a tropical peat swamp in situ prior to growth and maintenance in vitro. Briefly, plates made from either acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), or epoxy resin were tested in terms of their usability and durability under acidic conditions similar to those of peat matter. The epoxy resin plates were then found to be most optimal for the sampling conditions. Peat soil samples were collected from the base of a Koompassia malaccensis tree and reconstituted in molten 10% (wt/vol) tryptone soy agar (TSA) prior to inoculation. The iChips were subsequently assembled and buried in the site of origin. As a comparison, bacteria from the same soil sample were cultivated directly on TSA and incubated at 28 °C for two weeks. Thereafter, agar plugs from the iChip were transferred to TSA plates to allow microcolonies within each plug to grow. Each pure isolate from both cultivation approaches that grew was then pooled and extracted for total DNA prior to 16S rRNA gene amplification and sequencing via Illumina MiSeq. Taxonomic abundance comparison revealed that the bacterial taxa at the level of order were significantly different between the two approaches, particularly in the orders, Burkholderiales, Xanthomonodales, Enterobacteriales, and Actinomycetales (differences of 12.0, 7.1, 8.0, and 4.2%, respectively). This indicated that the 3D-printed iChips present a possible low-cost tool for the isolation of bacterial genera that may not be able to grow on media directly in vitro.

Microstructure Evaluation and Thermal–Mechanical Properties of ABS Matrix Composite Filament Reinforced with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes by a Single Screw Extruder for FDM 3D Printing

This paper reports the synthesis of a new printable ABS–MWCNT composite filament, for use in fused deposition modeling (FDM), using an extrusion technique. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were the initial materials used for fabricating the filaments. The MWCNTs were dispersed in ABS resin, then extruded through a single-shaft extruder in filament form, with MWCNT contents of 0.5%, 1%, 1.5%, 2%, 3% or 4% by weight. After extrusion, the diameter of the filaments was about 1.75 mm, making them appropriate for FDM. The as-synthesized filaments were then used in FDM to print out samples, on which tensile tests and other analyses were carried out. The results demonstrate that the sample with 2% MWCNTs had the highest strength value, 44.57 MPa, comprising a 42% increase over that of the pure ABS sample. The morphology and dispersion of MWCNTs in the composite were observed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), demonstrating the uniform distribution of MWCNTs in the ABS matrix. The thermal behavior results indicated no significant change in the ABS structure; however, the melt flow index of the filaments decreased with an increase in the MWCNT content.

Integration 3D printing of bionic continuous carbon fiber reinforced resin composite

Inspired by microstructure characteristics of mantis shrimp propodus with high mechanical strength, the bionic continuous carbon fiber (CF) reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin composite with layered spiral structure was prepared successfully via self-built integration 3D printing. Combined with integration 3D printing demands of continuous carbon fiber reinforced ABS resin, bionic structure model was divided into 10 layers with cylindrical entities which spiralled from 0° to 45°. The 3D printed continuous carbon fibers realized designed specific arrangement direction in ABS matrix, which reappeared the layered spiral structure of mantis shrimp propodus. The existence of bionic layered spiral structure led to the higher tensile strength and impact toughness of bionic composite than that of ABS matrix and ABS/CF composite with unidirectional continuous carbon fiber arrangement via the mechanisms of fracture and pull-out of continuous carbon fibers. The high mechanical properties of integration 3D printed bionic composite proved the effectiveness and feasibility of 3D printing method and bionic layered spiral structure design, which extended the preparation method and application fields of carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin composite in engineering materials.

Adhesive Strength Between Metal Sheet Plated Using Micro Particles and ABS Resin

To improve the adhesive strength between metal and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin, a metal surface was embossed with an irregular shape, and then we studied the bonding between different materials by insert molding. The irregular embossing of the metal surface was completed by nickel plating using micro particles of artificial diamond and aluminum oxide. Particles of various sizes were used, and the plating height was set at 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 of the particle size. When the embossed surface was implemented on the metal surface through the particles, an undercut area was formed on the metal surface. During insert molding, the resin solidified in the undercut area, which increased the adhesive force. As the undercut size was different depending on the plating height and particle size, the adhesive strength varied, and as the particle size increased, the adhesive strength increased. The adhesion strength was higher in the plated specimens using aluminum oxide particles than those with artificial diamond particles. Moreover, the adhesive strength was better with ABS resin containing glass fiber than with pure ABS resin.

Mechanistic insight into heterogeneous Fenton-like catalysis with M-Al2O3/SiO2 (M = Fe, Co and Ni) for acrylonitrile mineralization from real ABS resin wastewater: Optimization and toxicity assessment

In this study, a novel heterogeneous catalyst M-Al2O3/SiO2 (M = Fe, Co and Ni) metal incorporate fly ash was synthesized via wet impregnation method and then evaluated the performance during treatment of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin wastewater. Synthesized catalyst was characterized by several analytical techniques i.e., FTIR, XRD, BET, TEM, FE-SEM, XPS, EPR and IC-PMS techniques. Response surface methodology (RSM) based central composite design (CCD) was used to optimized the operating parameters within their ranges e.g., oxidant dose (H2O2) 5–25 mM, catalyst dose 300–1500 mg/L, pH 2.5–10.5 and reaction temperature 30–70 °C and their influences on acrylonitrile and COD removal were observed. In particular, enhanced removal of acrylonitrile (95.62%) and COD (88.95%) were obtained under the optimal conditions from RSM techniques. In order to evaluated the toxicity of resin wastewater, phytotoxicity study was carried out on various species as Vigna radiatus L., Cicer arietinum and Hordeum vulgare L. etc. Acrylonitrile and COD degradation kinetics were performed by two-step degradation and well fitted by first order kinetic model at different temperatures. The degradation pathways of acrylonitrile were elucidated by temporal evolution of intermediates and final products detected by GC-MS analysis along with reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger study. Over the four cycle experiments only 14.93% of acrylonitrile and 18.78% of COD removal efficiency were inhibited with and very low metal leaching. The overall operating cost of treatment process was estimated as 50.72$/m3 of ABS resin wastewater.

다공성 알루미늄 소재를 적용한 진공 박막성형 금형개발

In an injection-molding operation that applies vacuum technology, the thin-film sheet product must be molded to a uniform thickness. However, the dike part of the indoor panel of a refrigerator undergoes large variations in its thickness and a high defect rate. Therefore, porous aluminum was used so that a uniform distribution of vacuum pressure can be applied to the entire acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin in the indoor panel. The pore density of porous aluminum was determined using finite-element analysis, and the products from the developed mold were inspected for corner thickness, cotton flannel marks, and air-hole marks. The defect rate was significantly reduced, and the appearance quality of the product was improved. The improved thin-film-forming technology is expected to greatly contribute to the development of the mold industry.

Enhanced catalytic activity of series LaCuxFe1-xO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) perovskite-like catalyst for the treatment of highly toxic ABS resin wastewater: Phytotoxicity study, parameter optimization and reaction pathways

In the present study, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin wastewater was treated by series LaCuxFe1-xO3 (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) perovskite-like catalyst activated with peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The catalyst was synthesized by solgel method and further characterized by various techniques including i.e., XRD, FTIR, BET, FE-SEM with EDAX, TEM and XPS. Phytotoxicity study was performed to assess the toxicity of ABS resin wastewater on common agriculture crops viz., Vigna radiatus L. (Mung) and Hordeum vulgare L.(Barley). The effect of various parameters e.g., catalyst dosage (250−1050 mg/L), PMS dosage (1−5 mM), pH (2−10) and temperature (30−90 °C) were evaluated and optimize the parameters through central composite design (CCD) in response surface methodology (RSM). The maximum removal of acrylonitrile and TOC were observed 94.06 % and 66.70 %, respectively at optimum operating conditions obtained from RSM tools. The kinetic studies for the degradation of acrylonitrile and TOC was performed by two step pseudo first order kinetic model at various temperatures (30−90 °C). Catalyst reusability and chemical stability study were analyzed and degradation of acrylonitrile i.e., 94.06 %, 91.38 %, 88.42 % and 86.92 %; and TOC i.e., 66.70 %, 64.35 %, 61.59 % and 59.21 % were observed in first, second, third and fourth consecutive cycles. The proposed reaction pathways and PMS activation mechanism were investigated based on intermediate detected from GC–MS analysis and scavenger experimental study. Operating cost of treatment of ABS resin wastewater was estimated to be 75.60$/m3 wastewater.

An Overview of Acrylonitrile Production Methods: Comparison of Carbon Fiber Precursors and Marketing

Acrylonitrile is a key precursor in the production of a wide range of products in the chemical industries. The major products of acrylonitrile include acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, acrylic fibers, and adiponitrile. The demand for the roduction of acrylonitrile is affected by the global economy but because of the development of living standards; the demand for producing acrylonitrile and its derivations are significantly increasing. So in 2016, China alone produced 32% of the world’s acrylonitrile, and its production is expected to have a 55% increase in 2021. Acrylonitrile and its derivations have wide applications in different industries like car manufacturing, electronics, aerospace, and textile. Considering the importance of the acrylonitrile precursor in the current world, in this study, we discuss and investigate its production processes, the obtained copolymers, and polyacrylonitrile production and its application in the carbon fibers and compare it with other carbon fiber precursors such as mesophase pitch and cellulose. We also focus on its marketing in the world.

Design and experimental study of the biorthogonal linkage laser self-mixing angle sensor

In order to make up the defects of low-resolution and narrow measurement range ubiquitous in the current angle-measurement method, a biorthogonal linkage laser self-mixing angle sensor is designed for the micro-radian angular measurement over the full-circle range by taking the Acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene resin as the material and adopting the 3D printing technology. The experimental results are in excellent agreement with the theoretical values, of which implies that the tool is capable of measuring the angle with effectively and accurately. Furthermore, the deviation degree between the measured and actual angle, and the experimental error are further investigated and discussed. As a result, this self-mixing angle sensor can greatly improve the angle measurement accuracy and reduce the experimental error rate. In the case of different rotating angles of 250 and 500 μrad, which corresponding to the angular resolution is better than 29.53 μrad and the relative error can be smaller than 3.18×10−4 %.

Synthesis of Environmentally Friendly Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Resin with Low VOC.

Most acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin is plagued by an unpleasant odor attributed to the high residual volatile organic compound (VOC) content. This paper primarily aimed to solve the odor issue of ABS resin by effectively reducing the VOC content. To that end, a synthesis of ABS resins was optimized through a supercritical extraction process while evaluating multiple novel chain transfer agents (linear dimer of α-methyl-styrene, methyl 3-mercaptopropionate, and dodecyl mercaptan). ABS resin obtained through a α-methyl-styrene chain transfer agent demonstrated the lowest odor. Moreover, it had the least amount of VOC content which was three times lower than when dodecyl mercaptan was employed. To improve the supercritical extraction process, an orthogonal test was designed to optimize four main process parameters: extrusion temperature, residence time, vacuum degree and extractant dosage. The most optimal conditions were found to be 250 °C extrusion temperature, one minute residence time, vacuum degree of minus 99 KPa, and 1.5% CO2 extractant dosage.

Decorative Film Formation by Inkjet Printing with Gold Nanoparticles for Synthetic Resin Crafts

The crafts such as lacquerware have made unique strides through decorating techniques using gold such as “Makie”, the technique to draw picture by scattering powdered gold, and “Chinkin”, the technique to rub gold into the design engraved by carving knives. In conventional techniques, practical knowledge and ability are essential to produce craft products. Therefore, screen printing which consists of simple processes has been developed. However, screen printing requires a masking plate made of silk or nylon to create patterns for transcribing ink into objects. This paper presents the formation of a decorative film by inkjet printing with gold nanoparticles for crafts such as lacquerware. The proposed method consists of on-demand process, which makes design changeable without masking. The aims are threefold: 1) to establish a sintering process of gold nanoparticles for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and phenol resin substrates used for synthetic resin products; 2) to characterize the sintered gold film; 3) to examine applicability to industry. The major results obtained are as follows: the appearance and the reflectance spectra of the gold nanoparticle film vary with heat conditions; the proper heat conditions which prevent thermal damage to substrates are the temperature of 373 K or below for the ABS resin substrate, and 423 K or below for the phenol resin substrate, respectively; the gold nanoparticle film possessed a good surface integrity without any voids when the sintering temperature is higher than 323 K for 1 h. Moreover, the film had such a high adhesion to substrates that no separation occurred after cross-cut test; the proposed method applied a lacquerware product made of ABS resin, yielding the decorative film

Modification and Compounding of CaMgAl-Layered Double Hydroxides and Their Application in the Flame Retardance of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Resin.

CaMgAl-layered double hydroxides (CaMgAl-LDHs) were synthesized by a co-precipitation method to prepare sodium oleate-modified, borate-intercalated CaMgAl-LDHs (O-CaMgAl-LDHs) using in-situ intercalation and modification, and the LDHs samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The FESEM observations showed that the as-prepared CaMgAl-LDHs had a lamellar structure with a particle size of 200~500 nm, while the O-CaMgAl-LDHs had a plate-like structure with a particle size of about 100 nm. TGA showed that O-CaMgAl-LDHs resulted in higher thermal stability at high temperature compared to CaMgAl-LDHs. O-CaMgAl-LDHs/ABS composites were prepared by adding O-CaMgAl-LDHs to acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (ABS) to test the resulting flame retardancy and mechanical properties, and the results showed that the limiting oxygen index (LOI) could increase from 18% to 26%, while the mechanical properties decreased significantly when the added fraction was 40% (relative to ABS). O-CaMgAl-LDHs, ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and expandable graphite (EG) were added into the ABS to prepare ABS composites, and the effects of different compositions on the flame retardancy and mechanical properties of the ABS composites were investigated. The results showed that, when adding 5 g of O-CaMgAl-LDHs, 1 g of APP, and 14 g of EG into 40 g of ABS, the LOI of the ABS composite reached 28.8%, and the composite prepared could meet the V-0 grade requirements of the UL-94 combustion test, while the flexural strength decreased only 21.9% compared to pure ABS, the smallest decrease compared to all of the other composites.

Filling mechanism for prototype parts produced by vacuum differential pressure casting technology

Vacuum casting (VC) is the most economical production process for producing small numbers of prototype parts under vacuum conditions. The filling of the casting material in the conventional VC process only depends on the gravity. Thus, some defects of the cast part are observed. In this study, differential pressure (DP) VC was proposed to reduce the filling time and improve the quality of cast parts. In this study, the filling mechanisms in both horizontal and vertical directions were investigated theoretically and experimentally. The actual filling situations of the acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin in both the horizontal and vertical directions are similar to the simulation results. The relationship of the filling time for DP time, sprue diameters, and mold cavity capacities was investigated. The filling time can be estimated in terms of DP time, sprue diameter, and mold cavity capacity.