Comparative Mechanical Analysis of PLA and ABS Materials in Filament and Resin Form

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, represent technologies where the production of physical models with complex shapes is performed in a layer-by-layer manner, directly from the CAD model. With these processes, there is no need for additional tools or fixtures, and there is no excess material. There are seven different AM technologies, all utilizing different materials depending on the needed final part properties. Recent years were particularly significant for the development and advancement of polymer materials in AM. Among available technologies where polymer materials are used, this research covers extrusion-based Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and liquid resin photopolymerization technology called Digital Light Processing (DLP). Concerning the fact that these technologies process materials from different forms, the filament and resin form, the goal of this research was to compare the mechanical properties of two of the most widespread materials in AM, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and PolyLactic Acid (PLA), in filament and resin form. Specimen geometry and test protocols followed the dedicated standards. For a comprehensive analysis tensile, compression, and (three-point) bending tests were utilized here, along with surface fracture 2D optical microscopy and Shore A hardness test.