Improvement in Properties of Chromium Coated Abs Parts

Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) creates parts with complex designs by extruding layers of polymers, such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) one on top of another. All parts printed using FDM have presented with a rough surface. There are numerous parameters that influence the thermo-mechanical properties of the FDM parts and further study is needed to fully comprehend their inter relationship. Most studies agree on the fact that coating will improve its mechanical properties. However, very few standards have been established. An attempt has been made to coat ABS parts with a chromium based paint in order to determine the significance of the coating. Tests conducted on the coated parts have shown an increase in hardness and impact strength while the surface roughness has reduced.