Investigation of the Effects of Different Curing Methods on the Adhesion Strength of Single-Lap Joints Produced by Bonding 3D-Printed ABS and PLA Plates with Different Epoxy Adhesives

When bonding 3D-printed polymer products produced by the FFF method, it is essential to determine the appropriate adhesives and assess the resulting adhesion strength. This study focused on producing SLJ test specimens by bonding 3D-printed ABS and PLA plates using Araldite 2011, Araldite 2015-1, and Araldite 2021-1 adhesives. The bonding processes involved various curing methods: without oven (WO), 40 °C for 3 h, 40 °C for 16 h, 60 °C for 2 h, and 80 °C for 1 h. This study aimed to investigate the impact of different adhesives and curing conditions on the bonding strengths of the SLJ test specimens made from 3D-printed ABS and PLA plates. The results showed that the highest tensile strength and elongation at break values for both the ABS and PLA SLJs were achieved in specimens cured at 80 °C for 1 h, irrespective of the adhesive used. Specifically, the maximum tensile force values for the ABS SLJs ranged from 1386.26 N to 1743.98 N, while for the PLA SLJs, the values ranged from 2690.48 N to 3374.77 N. Additionally, the elongation at break values for the ABS SLJs varied from 2.463 mm to 3.485 mm, and for the PLA SLJs, they ranged from 3.260 mm to 4.300 mm.