Mechanical properties of 3D printed polymer specimens

The procedure of manufacturing objects by sequentially depositing layers of material, based on 3D digital models, is called Additive Manufacturing (AM) or 3D-printing. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology along with the ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) material are widely used in additive manufacturing. Until today, the mechanical properties of the AM parts cannot be determined nor even approximated before it is manufactured and tested. In this work a novel approach is presented on how the printing factors influence the mechanical properties of the printed part in order to obtain how parts can be manufactured (printed) to achieve improved mechanical properties. The methodology is based on an experimental procedure through which the optimum combination of manufacturing parameters and their values can be determined, in order to achieve the goal. The Taguchi methodology was selected as an optimization tool towards the goal of improving the part’s mechanical properties.