Experimental study of different methods for post-processing plastic parts manufactured by 3D printing

The article aims to compare and evaluate methods for surface treatment of plastic products manufactured using 3D printing technology, namely by fused deposition modelling (layer-by-layer FDM). The experimental studies were conducted on ABS plastic samples using various tools for physical, thermal, and chemical processing. These included an electric engraver with coarse and fine grain grinding wheels, a felt polishing wheel and abrasive paste, burrs; acetone, dichloromethane (methylene chloride); a heat gun; a NEJE Master semiconductor laser engraver with adjustable laser power. The study was conducted utilizing portable optical and digital microscopes. The article focuses on the existing methods for surface treatment of ABS plastic products and highlights their advantages and disadvantages. In order to compare the methods of surface treatment of ABS plastic products, a visual assessment of the results of surface treatment by various methods was carried out according to several criteria. We compared the obtained types of surfaces, printer resolution (i. e., layer thickness and X-Y resolution), surface uniformity, degree of deformation, presence of scratches/cracks, cavities, buildups, and blisters employing the proposed criteria. The comparative analysis of various processing methods demonstrated that the best result in terms of quality was achieved with surface treatment using laser radiation. However, this method was shown to have a drawback which is the need for preliminary laser adjustment and the potential complexity of processing three-dimensional parts. The results of the present study can be applied in mechanical engineering when manufacturing parts using additive technologies to manage the surface quality of plastic products.