Issues in Dual Material Fused Deposition Modelling with Polycarbonate-Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC-ABS) on a Desktop 3D Printer

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing encompasses a complete range of technologies where parts are fabricated by material addition essentially layer by layer. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM),being a cost-effective technique, is one of the popular additive manufacturing technologies. Owing to the simplicity of its material delivering system, FDM is capable of manufacturing parts in multiple materials and is known as “Multiple Material Extrusion Technology”. Polycarbonate is the strongest known material as far as FDM is concerned but difficult to manufacture using a desktop 3D printer due to difficulties in processability. By using multiple extrusion of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene with Polycarbonate, this paper aims to explore the possibilities of fabricating composite parts in situ on a desktop 3D printer.