Determination and comparison of the anisotropic strengths of fused deposition modeling P400 ABS

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an additive layered manufacturing technique used to build prototypes and functional products out of thermoplastic materials. The properties of the FDM parts are affected by many factors like geometry of the material bead, process conditions, and orientation of the part and layers etc. The present study focuses on the effect of build direction on the mechanical properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) P400 part specimens. Tensile, compressive, Izod impact, and hardness tests were performed on specimens built in the horizontal and vertical orientations with an intention to find the build direction that gives maximum strength in a particular working condition. Fractured specimens were then analyzed under the Jeol JSM 5600 Scanning Electron Microscope to study the impact failure pattern. The findings of this research can further be used to formulate product design rules for optimizing mechanical strength in layered manufacturing.