EFFECTS OF EXTRUSION PARAMETERS ON FILAMENT QUALITY AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF 3D PRINTED PC/ABS COMPONENTS

Material extrusion (MEX) is an additivive manufacturing technology (AM), which includes technique such as Fused deposition modeling (FDM) as well as similar Fused filament fabrication (FFF). The technology relies on thermoplastic materials with tailored mechanical properties to meet specific application requirements. This study investigates the extrusion and mechanical performance of polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), and their blends to optimize material properties for FDM/FFF applications. Mechanical characterization, including hardness, tensile, and flexural testing, reveals that PC demonstrates superior thermal stability and mechanical strength, while ABS offers enhanced processability and flexibility. The PC/ABS blend demonstrates a balanced combination of these attributes, achieving improved mechanical performance compared to ABS while maintaining better printability than pure PC. These findings provide valuable insights into the optimization of polymer blends for AM, enabling the development of high-performance materials for engineering applications requiring enhanced mechanical properties and printability.