Thermal and Mechanical Properties of 3D Printed Polymers (Polylactic Acid, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene and Polyurethane)

The effect of processing on the properties of three polymers commonly used in 3D printing was studied. Mechanical testing was uniaxial compression/tension tests performed at room temperature for Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and yield stress. Thermal testing was Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) for glass transition temperature, melting point and degree of crystallinity. Processing was found to have a pronounced effect in most cases and is most obviously seen in the DSC thermograms where evidence of partial crystallinity and physical aging is seen, both of which are strongly cooling rate dependent.