Strain rate influence on mechanical characteristics of FDM 3D printed materials

Abstract

One of the rapidly growing additive technology for polymer-based products is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), which is used for prototypes, single-part production and also small series production. Today, this technology is increasingly used for engineering purposes, and it is of great importance to know the mechanical properties of materials used in FDM technology, which are commonly thermoplastic polymers. The mechanical properties of materials are obtained by standard mechanical testing, but problem is that there are no official standards that define the method of mechanical testing of FDM materials. The aim of this study is to analyse the influence of the strain rate on tensile properties. Three different materials, PLA, tough PLA and carbon PLA, are examined. Strain rate was varied from 0,5 mm/min to 100 mm/min. The test was performed according to ISO 527-2. All specimens are 3D printed with 100 % infill and same 3D printing parameters.