Mechanical behavior of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) fused deposition materials. Experimental investigation

An experimental study of the mechanical behavior of fused-deposition (FD) ABS plastic materials is described. Elastic moduli and strength values are determined for the ABS monofilament feedstock and various unidirectional FD-ABS materials. The results show a reduction of 11 to 37 per cent in modulus and 22 to 57 per cent in strength for FD-ABS materials relative to the ABS monofilament. These reductions occur due to the presence of voids and a loss of molecular orientation during the FD extrusion process. The results can be used to benchmark computational models for stiffness and strength as a function of the processing parameters for use in computationally optimizing the mechanical performance of FD-ABS materials in functional applications.