Tribological Properties of 3D Printed Polymers: PCL, ABS, PLA and Co Polyester

Abstract

3D printing is one of the most portentous technologies for the time being. Recently, 3D printing has progressed remarkably and is expected to proceed in numerous applications, such as automotive, medical, wind turbine, and aerospace applications. 3D printing technology opens the door to enhancing and optimizing several applications. Although of such advancement, there is still a lack of the tribological research investigations in this area. This work is devoted to studying the tribological properties of 3D printed polymers (ABS, PLA, Co-polyester, and PCL) for utilization in a wide range of applications, such as medical, automotive, and various tribological applications. The test specimens were printed using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology. The tribological characteristics of 3D printed specimens were evaluated using a pin-on-disc tester. Vicker's hardness tester was used to determine the specimens' hardness. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with backscattering was used to examine the worn surfaces of samples. Based on the findings of the current investigation, it was discovered that 3D printing technology enhanced the bonding strength and wear resistance of the tested specimens. Furthermore, the 3D-printed polymers (ABS, PLA, Co-polyester, and PCL) produced varying friction coefficient (high and low) values at acceptable wear resistance making them suitable for a wide range of applications. The samples that were printed using PLA and co-polyester had the lowest coefficients of friction (0.3) while the samples that were printed using ABS and PCL had the greatest coefficients of friction (0.4) and (0.39) respectively.