Adhesive bonding of 3D-printed ABS parts and wood

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing technology, has experienced massive growth in the last decade. Instead of printing the entire product, 3D printing can be used to produce only the most complex parts, which are then combined with simple, non-printed parts from other materials to make the final product. In addition to mechanical connections, adhesive bonding is most commonly used to combine printed parts with other elements. In this study, the influence of 3D-printing parameters on the bondshear strength of 3D-printed Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer parts bonded to beech wood was investigated. Three printing settings with different layer thicknesses (0.39, 0.19, 0.09mm) and a posttreatment method that utilized acetone vapour were used. The three different adhesives applied were commercial one-component polyurethane adhesive, hot melt adhesive for edge bonding, and a two-component polyurethane adhesive. The results show that the type of adhesive had the biggest influence on the strength of the bond. The highest bond strength was achieved using a two-component polyurethane adhesive. The type of failure (failure in wood, plastic, adhesive, or cohesive failure) depended greatly on the type of adhesive and thickness of the printed layer.