Effect of Thermal Processing Parameters on the Tensile Properties of FDM-Printed ABS Components

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) offers manufacturing flexibility for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), but mechanical performance is sensitive to thermal history during printing. This study examines the effects of printing temperature (PT), chamber temperature (CT), and cooling fan speed (CFS) on the tensile properties of FDM-printed ABS. A face-centered central composite design (75 specimens, 15 conditions, five replicates) was used to fit second-order models for ultimate tensile strength (UTS), tensile toughness (T, calculated as the area under the stress–strain curve up to fracture), and break strain (εB). PT was the dominant factor for all three responses (15–29% of total variance), with lower PT yielding higher strength, toughness, and ductility. A significant chamber-temperature × cooling-fan-speed interaction was identified for UTS (F=9.13, p=0.004), requiring joint optimization for strength. CT had no statistically significant effect on toughness or break strain, either alone or in interaction, within the tested range. Single-response optimization identified PT = 220 °C, CT = 42 °C, CFS = 50% as maximizing UTS (29.6 MPa); the point estimates for toughness and break strain were nominally higher at CT = 58 °C, but a formal contrast between CT = 42 and 58 °C showed 95% confidence intervals that included zero for both responses, so this difference cannot be resolved from noise. PT = 220 °C and CFS = 50% are robust recommendations across all models and weightings tested, while the optimal CT for toughness and break strain remains unresolved within this design. These findings provide a statistically grounded framework for selecting thermal process parameters for FDM-printed ABS components.