Physico-mechanical properties of acrylonitrile styrene acrylate as a function of fi lling level in additive manufacturing

The physical and mechanical properties of acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate (ASA) samples made by additive manufacturing have been investigated in this work. The influence of the filling degree (30 %, 60 %, 80 % and 100 %) on hardness, density and mechanical properties has been studied. It was found that the Shore D hardness remains constant at the degree of fi lling from 30 % to 80 and increases by about 8 % at 100 % filling. The density of parts increases monotonically with increasing degree of filling, reaching a maximum at 100 % filling. Three-point bending tests showed the highest values of strength and modulus of elasticity at 100 % fill. The tensile strength of specimens with small cross-section increases significantly at 80 % to 100 % filling (by about 43 % and 76 %), whereas for specimens with large cross-section this parameter is practically independent of the filling degree. The elongation of the specimens increases with increasing filling, reaching a maximum at 100 % filling. The results show that the degree of filling and specimen geometry have a signifi cant effect on mechanical properties, which allows us to optimize 3D printing parameters to create products with specified characteristics.