Quantitative analysis of surface treatment to enhance surface finish and mechanical characteristics of ABS parts

Lack of surface integrity and porosity are the key factors limiting the growth of fused deposition modelling (FDM) method. The method requires an efficient post processing technique which is consistent, controllable and predictable to improve surface finish without affecting geometrical and mechanical properties. This work aims to setup a novel method to treat FDM parts to improve surface quality as well as heat absorption, which in turn makes it suitable for high temperature applications. In this process, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) parts are treated with montmorillonite nanoclay via acetone bathing. The parameters like layer thickness, nanoclay content and immersion time were considered for the investigation. The roughness is measured based on the deviation from the least square plane fixed to the computed surface topography data sets, which allows to investigate the influence of smoothing parameters. Further, parts have been investigated for thermal and mechanical properties to predict optimal smoothing parameters. Results showed the proposed surface treatment method could effectively reduce the roughness of the ABS parts. In addition, nanoclay coating showed remarkable effect on the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), reflection of heat radiation resulting in the reduction of heat absorption.