Multi-material additive manufacturing: investigation of the combined use of ABS and PLA in the same structure

Abstract 3D printing using multi-materials has been one of the most popular topics recently. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is one of the most widely used techniques for the three-dimensional printing of plastics and composites by all industries. In this study, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA) were printed in the same structure with an independent double extruder FDM 3D printer. In the study, three different layer thicknesses (0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, and 0.3 mm), three different infill ratios (30%, 60%, and 90%) and three different infill types (hexagon, triangle, and 3D infill) were used. Tensile specimens were produced according to the ASTM D638 type-IV standard. Tensile specimens of 4 mm in thickness were produced in 1 mm ABS and PLA layers. As a result of the tensile tests, it has been seen that when PLA and ABS are used together in the same structure, the tensile strength increases significantly.