Influence of print orientation on mechanical characteristics of FDM-printed OBE polymer

The impact of print direction on mechanical characteristics of OBE (Olefin Block Elastomer) polymer fabricated by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) is investigated in this study. OBE possesses characteristics of both a polymer and an elastomer, which depend on its specified orientation. With constant FDM process parameters, the OBE samples were fabricated with three directional orientation formations based on the X, Y, and Z axis directions, and their mechanical behaviour, such as tensile strength, Shore D hardness, flexural strength, and impact strength, was recorded. The results demonstrated that the orientation formation in the FDM technique significantly influenced the ductile characteristics of FDM-OBE materials. The improved filament arrangement and inter-layer formation of X-oriented specimens exhibit enhanced mechanical properties. In contrast, Z-oriented samples displayed the lowest performance, attributed to weaker inter-layer adhesion and higher susceptibility to delamination. Additionally, fractography analysis using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was achieved to apprehend the failure mechanisms. The result shows that specimens printed in different orientations perform strong anisotropy in their mechanical properties. This emphasises that the printing strategies for FDM-printed parts are directly influenced by the printing orientation.