Estimation of Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Unfilled ASA Material: Laboratory Testing vs. Virtual Simulation Analysis

This study investigates the mechanical properties and fracture behaviour of unfilled acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) polymer material produced by 3D printing. Tensile tests and explicit dynamic finite element analysis were conducted on dogbone specimens printed in three directions: XY, XZ and ZX (the plane of the largest surface relative to the build platform). A comprehensive material characterization approach is presented, incorporating scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, stress-strain evaluations, and virtual simulations using finite element analysis (FEA). These simulations have the potential to predict multiple fracture zones, ensuring a cautious design approach that accounts for numerous scenarios beyond the scope of physical test data. A comprehensive thermo-mechanical analysis was performed using GENOA GUI software specifically for the XY and ZX printing directions. The results of the virtual simulation showed good agreement with the experimental data and provided information about the fractures, voids and residual stresses caused by interlayer temperature changes during the printing process.