Influence of inter-layer cooling time on the quasi-static properties of ABS components produced via Fused Deposition Modelling

The quasi-static mechanical properties of Fused Deposition Modelling ABS parts are largely influenced by the quality of the interconnection between adjacent tracks and layers. During the process, coalescence of the interconnection is obtained through the thermal energy, present in the deposited material. The obtained coalescence is therefore strongly dependent on the temperature of the material and is therefore influenced by many factors related to the production process. However, the process parameters influencing this thermal history are often not monitored. Furthermore, when printing large batches in a single build, it is very difficult to control the process such that the optimal thermal history is obtained at every location in the build. Moreover, a profound knowledge on the influence of the thermal history on the coalescence of the interconnection between adjacent tracks is still lacking. This research is therefore aimed at investigating the influence between the inter-layer cooling time, i.e. the time between de deposition of two consecutive layers, and the resulting quasi-static mechanical properties, because this the latter is an important factor contributing to the temperature of the material at the moment of deposition of the next layer. Uniaxial test samples are built considering the build orientation and the number of parts in the envelope, in order to influence this inter-layer cooling time. Tensile tests are performed and the fracture surfaces are investigated using digital microscopy. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.