Empirical Study on Thermomechanical Properties of 3D Printed Green, Renewable, and Sustainable Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene/Polylactic Acid Blended Parts

Disposing of non-biodegradable conventional polymers such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) is a severe environmental problem across the globe. ABS, a non-biodegradable polymer, is widely used for producing auto components, home appliances, electronic goods, etc., but it is not environment friendly. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop biodegradable polymers as an alternative to non-biodegradable polymer materials. This paper aims to offer blended bio-based polylactic-acid (PLA) polymer with ABS for engineering applications to minimize the consumption of virgin petroleum-based ABS polymer. The effort is to ascertain the best-suited composition of ABS/PLA blended polymer with excellent thermal and mechanical properties. The five specimens of blended ABS/PLA polymers have been prepared using four compositions (80/20, 60/40, 40/60, and 20/80) using the material extrusion (MEX) 3D printing process and assessed for mechanical and thermal properties. The tensile strength and MFR of the ABS/PLA blend increased by 8.75 and 124.35%, respectively, with ABS/PLA polymers having a 20/80 wt.% composition. The thermal analysis of blends with varying blend compositions using DSC and FTIR have shown partial compatibility between ABS and PLA polymers. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of tensile fractured specimens has been analyzed to support the evidence.