Mechanical behaviour of ABS: An experimental study using FDM and injection moulding techniques

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) in contrast to injection moulding was studied to investigate the effect of processing technique on the mechanical behaviour of virgin ABS. FDM parameters were further altered in terms of varying raster angle and gap to further explore the potential of this technique. Results show that an adequate selection of FDM parameters is able to reach mechanical properties comparable to those of injection moulded parts in both static and dynamic loading modes. Here, a negative raster gap proved to be most significant in enhancing mechanical behaviour. A raster angle layup of −45°/+45° proves to offer maximum tensile and impact strength, whereas highest flexural strength was recorded for a 0/90° scaffolding system. In contrast, a positive gap drastically reduces the performance. Dimensional analysis further show no significant alterations of dimensions are to be expected with varying raster angle and gap.