Numerical and experimental studies of 3-dimensional thermoforming process

Two Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) polymers were thermoformed, and their behavior was compared with numerical simulation. Hot tensile and dynamic oscillatory shear tests were performed at various temperatures to characterize the polymers. Hot tensile test results were used to obtain the material parameters for simulation and to check the relative usefulness of these test parameters in the actual thermoforming process. The thickness distribution obtained from experiments was compared with simulation results. It shows that simulation results based on hyperelastic rubber like model can predict the deformation behavior of a sheet reasonably well. We could also find that the temperature sensitive polymer in hot tensile test shows more temperature sensitive thickness distribution in actual thermoforming process.