Effect of printing parameters on the mechanical properties of 3D printed short glass fiber/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene composites

Three-dimensional (3D) printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), is rapidly advancing, allowing for the creation of objects from a digital model through the successive addition of materials. Among the AM techniques, fused deposition modeling (FDM) emerges as one of the most promising and extensively utilized methods. However, the inherent mechanical shortcomings of the deposition of pure thermoplastic materials necessitate the improvement of mechanical properties. One viable approach involves integrating reinforcing fibers into the thermoplastic matrix to create polymer composites suitable for structural applications. In this study, the mechanical properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) reinforced with short glass fibers (SGFs) printed by FDM were investigated. The aim was to explore the impact of process parameters, including nozzle temperature, number of shells, and print speed, on the tensile properties and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS). Composite filament with 10% weight fraction (10 wt%) of glass fiber fabricated. Also, the mechanical properties of the composite and pure polymer were investigated. The length of the fibers was measured after the extrusion and printing process, revealing that they had been damaged. The shells exerted the most significant influence on test outcomes.