Heat Treatment Analysis with Forced Convection for Anisotropic Thermal Deformation of 3D Printing Material

Abstract

Users have the option to build one-of-a-kind products based on their needs using a 3D printing facility. The process of additive manufacturing has recently found a variety of uses in numerous industrial and commercial industries. The most popular filaments for 3D printing are ABS and PLA, even though they all provide premium stuff in various ways.  The current study examines the impact of heat treatment on the mechanical strength of polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that were 3D printed using FDM technology. A layer-by-layer additive manufacturing technique is known as fused deposition modeling (FDM). Significant diversity in the mechanical properties of 3D printed specimens is seen as a result of changing process settings and interfacial adhesion between subsequent layers. This study examines how heat treatment affects the mechanical strength of poly lactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) used in FDM-based 3D printing. The mechanical characteristics of the 3D printed specimens, such as tensile strength, strain, and stiffness, were assessed under tensile loading of 400 kN. For PLA yield stress 357.5 N/mm², load at peak 5.860 KN, load at yield 5.72 kN, and load at break 5.340 KN. For ABS yield stress 346.25 N/mm², load at peak 5.340 KN, load at yield 5.24 KN, and load at break 5.160 K.

The heat-treated specimens were now characterized with a 400 kN tensile load, and mechanical characteristics like tensile strength, strain, and stiffness were assessed. A noteworthy evolution was found when comparing the mechanical characteristics of heat-treated and untreated specimens. The sample geometries are modified by heat treatment as well. At T_h of 150°C and below recrystallization temperature (T_r) of 65°C, the greatest mechanical improvement was made. The improvement ranged from 4.77% to 10.23% after heat treatment. Heat treatment also causes a reduction in deformations.