Influence of Ambient Temperature on Part Distortion: A Simulation Study on Amorphous and Semi-Crystalline Polymer

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Science
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Semi-crystalline polymers exhibit higher residual stress and warpage than amorphous polymers due to their crystalline structure.
• Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) processing parameters, particularly ambient temperature, significantly influence residual stresses and part distortion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of ambient temperature on residual stresses and warpage in acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and polypropylene (PP) during FDM.
• To compare the behavior of amorphous ABS and semi-crystalline PP under varying ambient temperatures.

Main Methods:

• Experimental investigation of FDM processing parameters.
• Controlled variation of ambient temperature (50°C, 75°C, 120°C).
• Measurement of in-built residual stresses and part warpage for ABS and PP.

Main Results:

• Increasing ambient temperature decreased residual stress in ABS (0.22-0.37 KPa) with no significant warpage change.
• For PP, increasing ambient temperature reduced residual stress (0.5-2 MPa) but increased warpage (3-3.4%).
• Reduced thermal gradients contributed to lower residual stress in both polymers.

Conclusions:

• Ambient temperature is a critical factor affecting residual stress and warpage in FDM printed parts.
• The enhanced warpage in PP at higher temperatures, despite reduced stress, is attributed to crystallization and shrinkage.
• Understanding these effects is crucial for optimizing FDM processes for different polymer types.