Compressive response versus power consumption of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene in material extrusion additive manufacturing: the impact of seven critical control parameters

Abstract

AbstractAcrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) is a multipurpose thermoplastic and the second most popular material in material extrusion (MEX) additive manufacturing (AM). It is widely used in various types of industrial applications in the automotive sector, housing, and food processing, among others. This work investigates the effect of seven generic control parameters (orientation angle, raster deposition angle, infill density, layer thickness, nozzle temperature, printing speed, and bed temperature) on the performance and the energy consumption of 3D-printed ABS parts in compression loading. Raw material with melt extrusion was formed in a filament form for MEX 3D printing. Samples after the ASTM D695-02a standard were 3D printed, with the seven control parameters, three levels, and five replicas each (135 experiments in total). Results were analyzed with statistical modeling tools regarding the compressive and the energy consumption metrics (printing time, weight, energy printing consumption/EPC, specific printing energy/SPE, specific printing power/SPP, compression strength, compression modulus of elasticity, and toughness). The layer thickness was the most critical control parameter. Nozzle temperature and raster deposition angle were the less critical parameters. This work provides reliable information with great technological and industrial impact. Graphical Abstract