Experimental Investigation of Parameters Affecting the Tensile Strength of Silicone-Filled 3D Printed ABS Products

This study focuses on investigating the tensile strength of specimens produced using the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) method with Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) material. The objective of the research is to evaluate the effect of different production parameters on the mechanical properties (tensile strength) of the specimens. Three different infill densities (20, 50, and 80%) and three different infill patterns (3D Infill, Linear, and Hexagon) were used as production parameters. Additionally, as a unique aspect of this study, silicone was filled into the voids formed due to infill density in the specimens, along with the production parameters. The tensile specimens were produced with both the top and bottom layers left open. Similarly, specimens were also produced with only the top layer open while keeping the bottom layer closed. In this way, the specimens were filled with silicone from the open side. The experimental design was conducted using the Taguchi method. Subsequently, variance analyses were performed to determine the effects of the production parameters and the infill material (silicone) on the tensile strength of the specimens. Regression analysis was carried out to derive the formula for tensile strength in relation to the process parameters. It was observed that in specimens filled with silicone and with both top and bottom layers open, tensile strength increased as infill density increased, with the highest tensile strength recorded at 13.61 MPa (Hexagon, 80%). For specimens with only the top layer open, tensile strength also increased with higher infill density, with the highest tensile strength recorded at 16.79 MPa (3D Infill, 80%). Regarding the effect of silicone filling, an improvement of approximately 2% in tensile strength was observed. When all specimens were examined, the findings indicate that the optimal parameter combination for achieving the best mechanical performance is 3D Infill with 80% infill density.