Multi-objective optimization of laser polishing parameters for enhanced mechanical properties, sustainability, and surface finish of 3D-Printed industrial ABS polymers using response surface methodology (RSM)

Abstract

In this investigation, the asperities on the print surface have been reduced using a laser polishing technique. The improvement in mechanical properties (tensile and flexural strength), roughness of printed surface, and scan time of three-dimensional (3D)-printed new acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) polymers are among the industrial issues that the projected laser polishing process is explicitly intended to address. Response surface approach was used in a series of tests to determine how altering the laser's parameters influenced the test materials' top finish and the mechanical properties. The pre-polishing workpiece was compared in terms of mechanical characteristics and surface examination using a scanning electron microscope. According to the results, surface roughness was decreased by more than 18.85% for ABS utilizing laser polishing, from 8.01 to 6.50 μm. The sample's tensile strength improved by 8.1%, from 35.8 to 38.7 MPa. The samples' laser scan time was 0.143 min and the flexural strength increased by 2.58% from 58.01 to 59.51 MPa. These results demonstrate that a 3D-printed ABS polymer material's mechanical and surface qualities are enhanced by the novel post-processing laser polishing technique. In order to produce sustainable items, this innovative technique is quite helpful in the 3D printing sector.

Keywords

• Laser scanning
• Additive manufacturing
• Mechanical properties
• Surface roughness
• Laser scan time