Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is a fabrication process, usually layer upon layer, of joining materials to make the desired objects directly from a 3D model. It is unlike typical subtractive processes where one removes or cuts away the unwanted material from the target by operations such as milling, grinding, drilling, or forming processes that require a mold such as injection molding.&nbsp; Without cutter access and mold draft constraints, 3D printing greatly increases design freedom. Though 3D printing was originally developed for rapid prototyping, it has increasingly been used to produce end use products. Further, without the need to produce costly molds or the time required to program a CNC machine, 3D printing offers unparallel flexibility to customize products for consumers. Hence, if it is implemented properly, the 3D printing process can significantly reduce the material waste, production steps and amount of distinct parts needed for mass production.Among many different additive manufacturing processes, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), an additive manufacturing/3D printing process, is widely used where the material is melted, extruded, and deposited in layers to build up the desired object. The applications of FDM technologies have significantly increased recently not only for rapid prototyping but also for mass production of finished products. In 3D printing, parts are usually built in discrete layers and this often results in a certain amount of structural uncertainty in the form of discontinuities, voids, and poor inter-layer bonding. Additive manufactured components are increasingly being used for end-use products that are subject to higher tolerance, quality, uniformity, and surface finish requirements. Thus, quantification of FDM material properties and consistency of components made using FDM is essential if further market penetration desired.Our research aims to investigate the differences in the ultimate tensile strength and fatigue life for 3D printed Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) components built using different layup orientations. We also explored the possibilities of using a surface smoothing process with 3D printed ABS components to improve the mechanical properties. If the optimal layup orientation and post treatment process can be utilized to improve the mechanical properties, it would allow FDM to be a more viable option for manufacturing structural objects along with creating better rapid prototype models. In this study, ABS tensile and fatigue samples were manufactured using a 3D printer with the different layup orientations. The Acetone Vaper Smoothing (AVS) method with additional post processing was used as the post surface treatment of the ABS components. Our research found that the optimum layup orientation and adjustment of the printer input parameters can improve the ultimate strength and fatigue life of the 3D printed components. The AVS method also can reduce surface roughness and improve the fatigue life as well as enhancing the appearance of the 3D printed ABS components.

Effects of Surface Treatment on Tensile and Fatigue Behavior of 3d Printed Abs Components With Different Layup Orientations

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/IMECE/IMECE2021/volume/85543

ASME 2021 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2021)

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