Quality of the Surface Texture and Mechanical Properties of FDM Printed Samples after Thermal and Chemical Treatment

Abstract

Additive manufacturing technologies are nowadays used in various industries. In most cases, however, the surface texture of the produced models is unsatisfactory and requires further processing, aiming to reduce surface roughness and waviness. The quality of the surface layer in many cases plays not only an aesthetic role but also affects, for example, the process of wear and tribological properties. In the presented work, samples prepared by fused deposition modelling technology from polylactic acid (PLA) material were subjected to tests. The samples were subjected to heat or chemical treatment through the use of acetone. The quality of the surface texture was tested both before and after the treatments. In addition, tests were carried out to determine the effect of the presented finishing treatment on the tensile strength of the tested sample models. The test results showed that both thermal treatment and acetone treatment influence the surface texture quality, especially the waviness, and that the acetone treatment can improve some mechanical properties.

Detailed Thermal Characterization of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and Polylactic Acid Based Carbon Composites Used in Additive Manufacturing

“…host component, the chemical treatment of composite materials is a well-known and standard practice for changing certain physical/mechanical properties, making the source material applicable for special use [12,[28][29][30][31][32]. If we compare the carbon filler mass of ESD-PLA samples determined by the two different methods, the results are relatively close to each other, which suggests an estimated carbon content of 8%-10%.…”

“…The same tendency can be observed with the crystallization peaks (Peak 2 with Tc), as the carbon-containing PLA sample reaches this phase at a For ESD-PLA samples, the dissolution of PLA (Method 2 in Materials and Methods) could also lead to a good estimation of its carbon content, which is determined to be 10.14% ± 0.73% (m/m) this way. Though this is not the most elegant way to determine the dry mass of carbon filler added to the host component, the chemical treatment of composite materials is a well-known and standard practice for changing certain physical/mechanical properties, making the source material applicable for special use [12,[28][29][30][31][32]]. If we compare the carbon filler mass of ESD-PLA samples determined by the two different methods, the results are relatively close to each other, which suggests an estimated carbon content of 8%-10%.…”

“…Previous studies have investigated complex models fabricated with additive manufacturing, where interlayer adhesion is a key factor, determining the characteristics of the printed object. It has been revealed that the printing parameters like nozzle temperature, bed temperature, and layer height also has a significant effect on fracture behaviour [10] as well as the combination of the different materials [11,12]. In addition, the treatment of the printed objects can modify layer adhesion.…”

“…In addition, the treatment of the printed objects can modify layer adhesion. As a post-processing method, heat or chemical treatment can be applied in order to modify the surface or structure characteristics [12], and these observations are essential in case of functional prototyping. Therefore, the detailed thermal and structural characterization of the materials are essential to better understand their potential application.…”

The Influence of Printing Orientation on Surface Texture Parameters in Powder Bed Fusion Technology with 316L Steel

“…Owing to the lack of uniform procedures concerning the studies that are available in the case of conventionally manufactured models, the development of additive technologies has partially decelerated. Owing to the layered nature of the manufacturing process, as presented above, with different methods of construction and connection of layers, the properties of the manufactured models depend on the correct selection of technological parameters [13] and further finishing processes [14]. There are numerous studies aimed at the determination of the impact of technological manufacturing processes parameters on properties and accuracy of manufactured models, as presented in the following publications [15][16][17][18][19][20].…”