Thermal Deformations of Thermoplast during 3D Printing: Warping in the Case of ABS

Abstract

This research focuses on thermal deformations of thermoplast during three-dimensional printing. A filament acrylonitrile butadiene styrene was used, and the main focus was put on warping. Twenty-seven cuboids divided in six categories by their length, height, surface area, color, nozzle temperature and bed temperature were printed by Fused Filament Fabrication 3D printer. The whole process was captured by a thermal camera and the movies were used to analyze the temperature distribution during printing. All printouts were measured and scanned with a 3D scanner in order to highlight any abbreviations from the original digital models. The obtained results were used to formulate some general conclusions on the influence of selected parameters on the warping process. Based on the outcomes of the study, a set of guidelines on how to minimalize warping was proposed.