Preliminary Study on Polishing SLA 3D-Printed ABS-Like Resins for Surface Roughness and Glossiness Reduction

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Surface Engineering

Background:

• Post-processing of 3D-printed materials is crucial for enhancing surface quality.
• Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) offers effective surface finishing through combined chemical and mechanical actions.
• Interest in advanced surface finishing techniques for 3D-printed parts is growing with increased applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate and compare the efficiency of one-step CMP versus two-step polishing (sanding followed by CMP) for SLA 3D-printed ABS-like resin.
• To assess the impact of different polishing strategies on surface roughness and glossiness.
• To determine the optimal post-processing method for achieving a fine surface finish on 3D-printed parts.

Main Methods:

• Investigated one-step polishing by applying CMP directly to the as-3D printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)-like resin.
• Implemented two-step polishing involving initial sanding (#2000 grit) followed by CMP.
• Measured and compared surface roughness and glossiness metrics for both polishing methods.

Main Results:

• One-step CMP required significant time to reduce surface waviness on the 3D-printed specimens.
• Two-step polishing demonstrated faster reduction in surface roughness and quicker increase in glossiness compared to one-step CMP.
• The sequential sanding and CMP approach proved more efficient in surface finishing.

Conclusions:

• The two-step polishing method (sanding + CMP) is more efficient for reducing surface roughness and enhancing glossiness of SLA 3D-printed ABS-like resin.
• Sequential surface treatment is advantageous over direct CMP for achieving desired surface quality in a shorter timeframe.
• This study highlights the importance of optimized post-processing techniques for additive manufactured components.