Maximizing the Strength of Fused-Deposition ABS Plastic Parts

Fused-Deposition (FD) creates parts using robotic extrusion of set.D.i-liquid .polymer fiber, which molecularly bonds with neighboring fibers via thermal-dlffuslo.n bonding. T~e strength ofthe. part depends on the bulk polymer strength, themesostructure ~flber layout, vOid geom~try, extent of fiber bonding), and thefiber-t~-fiber ~ond strength. The ~nfluence of these factors on the mechanical strength of FD-ABS.plasttc parts IS reported.along with the.FD process variable settingsfor maximum strength. Substantial increases in transverse strength are achieved at the optirnal settings and additional increases can be achieved by post..fabrication annealing. Keywords: Stratasys, fused-deposition, ABSplastic, functional parts, strength, mesostructure, polymer diffusion.