Influence of Thermal Annealing Temperatures on Powder Mould Effectiveness to Avoid Deformations in ABS and PLA 3D-Printed Parts

Fused deposition modelling (FDM)-printed parts can be treated with various post-processes to improve their mechanical properties, dimensional accuracy and surface finish. Samples of polylactic acid (PLA) and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) parts are treated with annealing to study a ceramic powder mould’s effectiveness in order to avoid dimensional part deformation. The variables chosen are annealing temperatures and the usage of a ceramic powder mould to avoid part deformations. A flexural strength test was carried out to evaluate the mould’s influence on the mechanical properties of the part. The effectiveness of the mould has been evaluated mainly attending to the length of the part, because this is the dimension most affected by deformation. A polynomial approximation to a deformation’s length and the effectiveness of the mould allows for their prediction. Results obtained show that effectiveness increases with the annealing temperature. Nevertheless, mould effectiveness decreases when parts are fabricated with PLA, because it is a semi-crystalline thermoplastic, and it suffers a lower shrinkage during thermal post-process than amorphous polymers such as ABS. Attending to the flexural strength test, mould has no significant influence on the mechanical properties of the treated parts in both materials studied.