Interpretation of MEX additive manufacturing generic control settings impact on the spatial dielectric response of ABS: challenges and opportunities for the defense industry

In this study, 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was investigated using samples manufactured to examine their intriguing properties in defense applications. The overall quality was also assessed. The resulting average roughness (Ra), root mean square (Rz) roughness, actual to nominal geometrical deviation, porosity, and dielectric response were thoroughly assessed to elucidate ABS as a key material for defence-related applications. The carefully chosen control parameters were the infill density (ID), layer thickness (LT), strand width (SW), and orientation angle (ORA), as these are the most important ones when it comes to additive manufacturing processes. There were nine experimental runs of three replicas, each as part of the Taguchi L9 design of experiment, and an additional confirmation run of three replicas was also carried out. Prediction equations were developed to depict the relationship between control and response parameters. The selected indicators were assessed using electrical characterization, optical profilometry, optical microscopy, and micro-computed tomography. It was found that by knowing beforehand which critical parameters influence most of the manufacturing process, multifunctionalities arise with profound applications in the defense industry, for example, in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and elsewhere.