Virgin Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene Research Articles

Closed-loop circular economy in ‘upcycled’ acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene vitrimer

Today, the issue of plastic waste pollution has reached unprecedented levels. The increasing production of plastics, combined with a decreasing rate of recycling, has significantly worsened this problem in recent years. While a wide range of plastics are manufactured, thermoplastics are a type that can be recycled relatively easily. However, recycled thermoplastics often have lower mechanical properties compared to new ones. Considering this challenge, making thermoplastics recyclable could revolutionize the recycling process and represent a major advancement towards establishing a circular economy for plastics. In this study, virgin acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) was transformed into a vitrimer through reactive melt extrusion using a bio-derived crosslinker containing dynamic imine linkages. This crosslinker results in a dynamic network, in the melt, as observed from the higher gel fraction and imparts recyclability to the resulting ABS vitrimer, which exhibits higher yield strength (by 15 %) and Young’s modulus (by 19 %). Remarkably, the mechanical and thermal properties of the vitrimer remain largely unchanged even after undergoing five cycles of reprocessing. In addition, the resulting vitrimer is dimensionally stable as inferred from creep studies and shows rapid stress relaxation at higher temperature following Arrhenius behaviour. The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra were captured at room temperature for both ABS and its vitrimer. The difference in singlet band intensities in the spectra begins to suggest that the vitrimer is more stable post multiple recycling. While this research focused on virgin ABS, the approach outlined in the study has the potential to be applied to post-consumer recycled (PCR) ABS. This could introduce recyclability to PCR ABS and pave the way for a closed-loop circular economy for ABS plastics.

Three-dimensional printing with waste acrylonitrile butadiene styrene: Processing and characterization

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of waste plastic such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is challenging because multiple heating cycles and irregular cooling cause accumulation of stress in 3D-printed structures, which significantly affects mesostructured and fiber-to-fiber bond strength. Hence, this study demonstrates the ability to print high-quality parts via 3D printing using ABS waste. The different weight proportions (100, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40, 50/50) of recycled ABS (RABS)/virgin ABS (VABS) are selected for experimentation. It is found that increasing VABS content in RABS significantly improved the physical properties of samples. Due to VABS blending in RABS, the average enhancement in flexural strength (Sf), flex modulus (Ef), and work of fracture (WOF) are 11.49%, 5.45%, and 17.31%, respectively, when compared with 100% RABS samples. Similarly, the average increase in Young’s modulus (E), tensile strength at yield (Ty), and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are 7.71%, 5.19%, and 3.51%, respectively. The samples printed with 50% RABS/50% VABS blends show superior mechanical properties than others, also the properties of 90% RABS/10% VABS and 80% RABS/20% VABS are very close to 100% VABS samples. Hence, this study provides unique opportunities for the sustainable use of waste ABS using 3D printing technology.

3D printing with recycled ABS resin: Effect of blending and printing temperature

Recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (RABS) has undesirable thermal properties that cause the material to shrink and not adhere to the printing bed during three-dimensional (3D) printing. In order to address this issue, virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (VABS) of varying weight proportions (i.e., 10–50%) is blended with RABS to fabricate parts at various printing temperatures (i.e., 230 °C, 240 °C, and 250 °C). The study emphasizes to achieve proper inter-layer bonding and enhancing the physical and mechanical characteristics of the final product made from RABS. It was found that blending of VABS up to 40% in RABS with components fabricated at 240 °C resulted in the highest improvement in physical and mechanical properties. The 60% RABS/40%VABS sample printed at 240 °C exhibits improvements in Young's modulus (E), yield strength (σy), and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) by 13.69%, 13.37%, and 15.64%, respectively. Moreover, the RABS sample blended with 20% VABS exhibited comparable flexural results to the 100% VABS samples as blending VABS enhances molecular chain bonding and provides better elasticity to the material.

Thermal and tensile properties of 3D printed ABS-glass fibre, ABS-glass fibre-carbon fibre hybrid composites made by novel hybrid manufacturing technique

This study was an attempt to combine fused deposition modelling and hot press moulding technique to fabricate hybrid polymer composites using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polymer, woven glass fibre (GF) and woven carbon fibre (CF). The composite specimens were subjected towere subjected to mechanical and thermal characterization.Tensile strength of GF/ABS and GF/CF/ABS composite were far higher than the virgin ABS. GF/ABS composites displayedimproved thermal resistance by giving a final residue of 42.36%, followed by GF/CF/ABS hybrid composites as per the thermogravimetric analysis. Thermomechanical analysis revealed the coefficient of thermal expansion in the order: ABS > GF/ABS > GF/CF/ABS. The entropy obtained from the DSC curve was of higher value for composites than the ABS. The ABS based composites fabricated from this technique can be applicable to structural parts in the automobiles, aircrafts, shipping vessels, etc.

Recycling of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene from Electronic Waste for the Production of Eco-Friendly Filaments for 3D Printing.

In this work, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer from electronic waste (e-waste) was used to produce filaments for application in 3D printing. Recycled ABS (rABS) from e-waste was blended with virgin ABS (vABS) in different concentrations. By differential scanning calorimetry, it was observed that the values of the glass transition temperatures for vABS/rABS blends ranged between the values of vABS and rABS. Torque rheometry analysis showed that the processability of vABS was not compromised with the addition of rABS. Rheological measurements showed that the viscosity of vABS was higher than that of rABS at low frequencies and indicated that vABS and rABS are immiscible. Impact strength (IS) tests of the 3D printed samples showed an increase in the IS with an increase in the rABS content up to 50 wt%. Blending vABS with rABS from e-waste is promising and proved to be feasible, making it possible to recycle a considerable amount of plastics from e-waste and, thus, contributing to the preservation of the environment.

Study on the Inter-Laminar Shear Strength and Contact Angle of Glass Fiber/ABS and Glass Fiber/Carbon Fiber/ABS Hybrid Composites

In recent days, the uses of 3D printing have been successfully implemented in various applications due to their advantages. Besides, the need for sustainable choice has created a demand for the augmented use of thermoplastic composites. Thus, additive manufacturing techniques have become the essence of composite fabrication to achieve an automated and flexible fabrication technique. The present study used fused deposition modelling (FDM) and hot press moulding technique to produce composite samples. The composite laminates were fabricated by using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as polymer and woven glass fiber (GF) and woven carbon fiber (CF) used as reinforcements. Further, the laminates were subjected to inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS) and contact angle. The inter-laminar shear strength and the contact angle of hybrid samples were compared with virgin ABS and pure glass fiber-reinforced composites. The study reported a maximum ILSS of 198.5MPa achieved by GF/CF/ABS hybrid composites, which was higher by 17% and 217% compared with GF/ABS and ABS samples, respectively. The contact angle results showed an increase due to the incorporation of fibers with ABS by 5% and 13% in GF/ABS and GF/CF/ABS, respectively, contributing to the adhesion. The contact angle values achieved were 100.5°, 105.15°, and 113.39° by ABS, GF/ABS and GF/CF/ABS making them hydrophobic in nature. These developed reinforced materials, such as carbon fiber, glass fiber and ABS matrix composites, could be used in automotive, aerospace and wind energy applications.

Investigations on 3D printed primary recycled ABS for one-way programming

ABSTRACTIn the past two decades, number of studies have been reported on one-way programming (OWP) of virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)-based substrate for sensing applications inform of dielectric constant (εr) and loss tangent/dissipation factor (tanδ). But hitherto little has been reported on the OWP of primary (1°) recycled ABS (by dielectric tuning of a 3D-printed substrate and mechanical bending to ensure conformal designs). This study reports the OWP of 3D-printed 1° recycled ABS as a sensor (for acetone detection in a distillery, patients with diabetic ketoacidosis as an internet of things (IoT)-based solution). For sensor fabrication, a ring resonator was initially designed using a commercial software package (CST studio suite) and fabricated by 3D printing of 1°recycled ABS for the resonant frequency of 2.45 GHz. Transmission line parameters (S21) were observed using a vector network analyser (VNA). Further, morphological, radio frequency (RF), current-voltage (I–V), and Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) characterisation were performed to understand the effect of two stimuli (acetone and temperature) on ABS substrate for OWP of εr and tanδ. Also, the mechanical bending analysis of a one-way programmable substrate was observed for its suitability in sensors miniaturisation.

Enhanced mechanical properties of recycled blends acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene/high–impact polystyrene from waste electrical and electronic equipment using compatibilizers and virgin polymers

AbstractWaste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are currently constituted by a considerable fraction of polymers, mainly acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) and high‐impact polystyrene (HIPS). Despite the increasing interest for ABS and HIPS recycling from WEEE, some factors, such as intrinsic mixture between polymeric components, are barriers to the advancement of the polymeric WEEE recycling. In present study, ABS and HIPS from WEEE were combined each other and with virgin ABS and HIPS in presence of the compatibilizers styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) and styrene–ethylene–butylene–styrene/styrene–ethylene–butylene (SEBS/SEB), generating recycled ABS/HIPS blends in different compositions. The materials were evaluated by mechanical tests, morphological analysis, dynamic‐mechanical‐analysis, and melt flow rate. The presence of compatibilizers SBS and SEBS/SEB affects significantly the morphological structure of ABS/HIPS, changing the shape and size of the dispersed phases of styrene–acrylonitrile or polystyrene, which leads to modifications of the mechanical properties of the materials. The presence of virgin polymer in the blends also affects the material morphology. Thus, ABS and HIPS waste from WEEE can be recycled as ABS/HIPS blends and their mechanical properties controlled by use of compatibilizers SBS and SEBS/SEB and incorporation of virgin polymers, avoiding processes for segregation of the polymers during mechanical recycling.

Use of 3-Dimensional Printers in Educational Settings: The Need for Awareness of the Effects of Printer Temperature and Filament Type on Contaminant Releases.

Material extrusion-type fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3-D printing is a valuable tool for education. During FFF 3-D printing, thermal degradation of the polymer releases small particles and chemicals, many of which are hazardous to human health. In this study, particle and chemical emissions from 10 different filaments made from virgin (never printed) and recycled polymers were used to print the same object at the polymer manufacturer's recommended nozzle temperature ("normal") and at a temperature higher than recommended ("hot") to simulate the real-world scenarios of a person intentionally or unknowingly printing on a machine with a changed setting. Emissions were evaluated in a college teaching laboratory using standard sampling and analytical methods. From mobility sizer measurements, particle number-based emission rates were 81 times higher; the proportion of ultrafine particles (diameter <100 nm) were 4% higher, and median particle sizes were a factor of 2 smaller for hot-temperature prints compared with normal-temperature prints (all p-values <0.05). There was no difference in emission characteristics between recycled and virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and polylactic acid polymer filaments. Reducing contaminant release from FFF 3-D printers in educational settings can be achieved using the hierarchy of controls: (1) elimination/substitution (e.g., training students on principles of prevention-through-design, limiting the use of higher emitting polymer when possible); (2) engineering controls (e.g., using local exhaust ventilation to directly remove contaminants at the printer or isolating the printer from students); (3) administrative controls such as password protecting printer settings and establishing and enforcing adherence to a standard operating procedure based on a proper risk assessment for the setup and use (e.g., limiting the use of temperatures higher than those specified for the filaments used); and (4) maintenance of printers.

A comparative study on investment casting of dental crowns for veterinary dentistry by using ABS patterns with and without wax coating

The fused deposition modelling (FDM) assisted investment casting (IC) is one of the commercially established routes for fabrication of biomedical parts requiring high precision. In past two decades number of studies has been reported on use of thermoplastic and wax based FDM patterns for IC of dental crown (DC) in human dentistry. But hitherto little has been reported on comparison of Ni-Co-Cr based DC prepared by using FDM printed virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) pattern and wax coated ABS pattern for veterinary patients (VP). In this work, first molar and canine teeth in left side of lower mandible of a 3-year German Shepherd male dog has been prepared by using virgin ABS and wax coated ABS patterns followed by IC of Ni-Co-Cr alloy. The result of study suggests that wax coated ABS samples-based DC has better surface hardness, grain structure, surface roughness (Ra) and controlled surface porosity thus may be used as commercial manufacturing strategy. The results have been supported with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis.

Investigation on Mechanical Properties of Blend Virgin and Recycled Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) in Injection Molding

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is one of the most widely used plastic. The application of ABS increases rapidly in industries recently. The drawback of the increasing demand of ABS is the increment of ABS waste. Huge increment in ABS waste has led to the increasing of environmental pollution. The demand in green technology and sustainability of resources has urged the need of recycling of ABS waste. However, the mechanical properties of the recycled ABS are deteriorated. Hence, this work aims to study the mechanical properties of blend virgin and recycled ABS. The first sample started with 100wt% of virgin ABS. While the second to eleventh samples was a mixing of virgin and recycled ABS at 10wt% incremental recycled ABS. The last sample was prepared using 100wt% of recycled ABS. The results show that the tensile strength of 100wt% of recycled ABS is slightly decreased as compared to 100wt% virgin ABS. Similar trend was observed on traverse rupture strength (TRS) when the TRS for 100wt% of recycled ABS is lower by 8% when compared to 100wt% of virgin ABS. The most significant change is observed on the impact strength. The impact strength for 100wt% of recycled ABS is substantially dropped by 86% as compared to 100wt% of virgin ABS.

Mechanical characteristics of oil palm fiber reinforced thermoplastics as filament for fused deposition modeling (FDM)

Fibers are increasingly in demand for a wide range of polymer composite materials. This study’s purpose was the development of oil palm fiber (OPF) mixed with the thermoplastic material acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) as a composite filament for fused deposition modeling (FDM). The mechanical properties of this composite filament were then analyzed. OPF is a fiber extracted from empty fruit bunches, which has proved to be an excellent raw material for biocomposites. The cellulose content of OPF is 43%–65%, and the lignin content is 13%–25%. The composite filament consists of OPF (5%, mass fraction) in the ABS matrix. The fabrication procedure included alkalinizing, drying, and crushing the OPF to develop the composite. The OPF/ABS materials were prepared and completely blended to acquire a mix of 250 g of the material for the composition. Next, the FLD25 filament extrusion machine was used to form the OPF/ABS composite into a wire. This composite filament then was used in an FDM-based 3D printer to print the specimens. Finally, the printed specimens were tested for mechanical properties such as tensile and flexural strength. The results show that the presence of OPF had increased the tensile strength and modulus elasticity by approximately 1.9% and 1.05%, respectively. However, the flexural strength of the OPF/ABS composite had decreased by 90.6% compared with the virgin ABS. Lastly, the most significant outcome of the OPF/ABS composite was its suitability for printing using the FDM method.

On wear of 3D printed Al2O3 reinforced Nylon6 matrix based functional prototypes

The use of fused deposition modelling (FDM) based functional prototypes for wear resistance applications is presently limited mainly because of selective material availability of filament materials. Various research groups have reinforced several fillers in thermoplastic base to prepare feedstock filaments to improve the mechanical properties and to address the reusability issue of polymeric waste. But hitherto the effect of Al2O3 particle sizes (as single, dual and triple particle size as reinforcement) in Nylon6 thermoplastic blend has been less explored. In the present investigation an effort has been made to prepare feed stock filament for 3D printing application to explore its wear resistant properties. The current investigation suggested that dual particle size reinforced pin exhibit better wear properties followed by triple and single particle reinforced pins. The wear tracks obtained in this study shows that dual particle size based composite material is highly wear resistant as compared to virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)/ Nylon6. The results have been supported by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of prepared pins for wear testing.

Investigation of Closed-Loop Manufacturing with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene over Multiple Generations Using Additive Manufacturing

This study examines the changes in physical and mechanical properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) when manufactured using fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing across multiple recycling phases. Tests were carried out initially using virgin ABS, which subsequently underwent two successive closed-loop filament extrusion and 3D printing phases. For each endpoint manufacturing phase, samples were examined to monitor the changes in thermal characteristics, mechanical properties, and polymer degradation. It was found that there was a series of physical changes of the polymer, which resulted in reduced melt flow, increased glass transition temperature, and the generation of carbonyl groups, which may be attributed to the thermal oxidative breakdown of both styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) and butadiene components of ABS. The recycled polymer also showed a reduction in both tensile and compressive strengths compared to the virgin material. However, compared to one-time recycled ABS, two-times recycled ABS showed increased strength, implying that increased recycle state of the polymer may be advantageous with respect to mechanical properties and potential manufacturing applications. This study ultimately demonstrates the potential to leverage additive manufacturing (AM) toward a closed-loop manufacturing paradigm by using waste ABS across several life cycles.

The Flotation by Selected Depressants as an Efficient Technique for Separation of a Mixed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Polycarbonate and Polyoxymethyleneplastics in Waste Streams

The virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and polyoxy methylene (POM) available in a plastic mix were separated from each other by a flotation technique with the aid of several depressants. Also, a Design-Expert® statistical software was used to predict plastics flotation using input data including conditioning time, flotation tank temperature and pH and depressants concentration. It revealed that the flotation technique was effective for separation of studied plastics by selected depressants. Understanding the adsorption–desorption phenomena and effective parameters on this process was crucial to explain the activity and selectivity of a depressant on a plastic surface. The increasing conditioning time up to 15 min had adverse effect on the floatability of the all studied plastics conditioned with tannic acid (TA). TA and methyl isobutyl carbinol (MIBC) had not any effect on floatability of PC and POM in all studied depressant concentrations. The flotation of ABS reached to 85% for flotation tank pH of 6.5 with 15 min depressant conditioning at 35 °C as flotation tank temperature. A complicate phenomenon involved and predominated in flotation of studied plastics. Proposed equations by Design-Expert® predicted close plastic flotation values when compared with corresponding experimental values.

Fused Deposition Modelling Filament with Recyclate Fibre Reinforcement

The legacy of composite waste from manufacturing processes or end of life products is a growing and urgent challenge to be solved. An emerging idea is to incorporate composite recyclate in additive manufacturing. The focus of this work was to develop this capability and research the functional performance of additive manufactured parts through incorporating recyclate fibre in fused deposition modeling material. The research focused on additive manufacturing with virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and recyclate fibre reinforced ABS. The effect on tensile strength for different fibres (recycled by pyrolysis and mechanical process) was evaluated. Tensile test result showed an improvement by 43%, 49% and 69% when ABS was reinforced with mechanically recycled fibre, Pyrolysis recycled fibre and virgin carbon fibre respectively. The work identified the key potential for additive manufacturing to utilize recyclate and functional benefits as well as the areas for further scientific research. This is important for new innovations for use of composite recyclate to improve the functionality of additively manufactured parts.

Study on mechanical properties of recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) blended with virgin Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) using Taguchi method

Fused Deposition Modeling is a rapidly growing additive manufacturing technology due to its capability to form functional parts having complex geometry. The mechanical properties of the build part will depend on several parameters and build material of the printed specimen. The aim of this study is to characterize and optimize the parameters such as infill density and Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene(ABS) build material which is mixed with recycled ABS material. Tensile and three-point bending tests are carried out to determine the mechanical response characteristics of the printed specimen. Taguchi method is used for a number of experiments and Taguchi S/N ratio is utilized to recognize the set of parameters which give good results for particular response characteristics, the effectiveness of each parameter is investigated by using analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Biocomposites Formulated with Virgin/Recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene

This study aims to examine mechanical properties of biocomposites formulated with virgin/recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS). Neat virgin ABS (VABS), neat recycled ABS (RABS), VABS with 15% palm long fiber (VABS/15PLF), and RABS with 10% palm short fiber (RABS/10PLF) were fabricated and examined. Twin extruder machine was used to manufacture granular composite. Impact, tensile, and hardness tests were carried out. This study found that the incorporating palm fiber into the matrix polymer increased brittleness of the composites. Impact strength of the composites increases with the rise filler loadings. Increasing filler loading in VABS was found to be able to increase the composite hardness. Conversely, for RABS, the composite hardness was found to decrease with the rise filler loadings.

Assessing the use of binary blends of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and post-consumer high density polyethylene in fused filament fabrication

Several experiments were conducted to assess the suitability of binary blends of recycled high-density polyethylene and virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene for use in fused filament fabrication. Binary blends of the two plastics were extruded into feedstock for a 3D printer in varying proportions. Filament extrusion consistency, dimensional accuracy of 3D printed benchmarking objects, and tensile strength were each assessed. When compared against commercial acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament, binary blends of recycled high-density polyethylene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene were found to have inferior filament extrusion consistency and tensile strength. They also produced less accurate benchmarking objects. Despite this, binary blends were shown to produce objects with dimensional accuracy and tensile strength that would render them suitable for many applications.

Assessing the use of binary blends of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and post-consumer high density polyethylene in fused filament fabrication

Several experiments were conducted to assess the suitability of binary blends of recycled high-density polyethylene and virgin acrylonitrile butadiene styrene for use in fused filament fabrication. Binary blends of the two plastics were extruded into feedstock for a 3D printer in varying proportions. Filament extrusion consistency, dimensional accuracy of 3D printed benchmarking objects, and tensile strength were each assessed. When compared against commercial acrylonitrile butadiene styrene filament, binary blends of recycled high-density polyethylene and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene were found to have inferior filament extrusion consistency and tensile strength. They also produced less accurate benchmarking objects. Despite this, binary blends were shown to produce objects with dimensional accuracy and tensile strength that would render them suitable for many applications.