Fracture surface analysis of ABS samples printed by the FDM method

Abstract

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) is one of the most used technique in additive manufacturing (AM). It can be summarized as printing small components through a heated thermoplastic filament, which is deposited layer by layer through a 3D printer. The print head can be programmed to perform the job in different directions (X, Y and Z) even with predetermined slopes. In this work, flat tensile specimens were prepared in different directions using an ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) filament with a processing temperature between 210-225 ° C. After tensile tests, the fracture surfaces were analyzed to get a better understanding of the deformation and fracture processes. The crosssection view of specimen´s morphology was examined with a scanning electron microscope at a very low accelerating voltage (1 kV). The specimens were coated with gold using a sputtering system. The specimens that showed the smaller ultimate strength (named V-specimen) presented numerous large cavities in its microstructure suggesting that these voids may have a major contribution to the mechanical performance of the material.The fracture surface also shows a possible pull-out between layers indicating a weak point in the microstructure of the built sample that’s requires further investigation.