Using thermal annealing and salt remelting to increase tensile properties of 3D FDM prints

Addtive Manufacturing techniques such as FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) are becoming more significant in prototyping and have potential to be used in low-volume production, which generates the need of better tensile properties of FDM printed parts. The effects of process parameters (printing orientation and layer height), thermal annealing process and salt remelting process on tensile properties and anisotrophy of the FDM parts was examined. The tensile strength of PETg FDM parts measured in Z direction increases over 300% after salt remelting process and the anisotrophy of the parts becomes negligible.