Experimental analysis and comparison of mechanical properties of different materials used in Rapid prototyping

Rapid prototyping (RP) technique is widely used in engineering for producing complex conceptual and functional solid models which are used for 3D printing in Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) technique. In this work, two commonly used materials Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) specimens as well as their combinations of different proportion like 75% PLA with 25% ABS and vice versa were manufactured using entry level 3D printer as the ABS having a problem of warping as it cools down therefore it can be effectively used with PLA and may produce better material of mechanical properties. Experiments such as tensile strength test, flexural strength test and deflection temperature test were performed to measure and compare the mechanical properties as per the ASTM standards. Results obtained are validated by comparing the test results with the previously available results. It is found that the performance of 75% PLA with 25% ABS combination has shown better test results compared to the other cases considered on account of mechanical properties.