Print Bed Adhesion in Fused Filament Fabrication of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, Glycol-Modified Polyethylene Terephthalate, and Polyamide 12

Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, particularly fused filament fabrication (FFF), significantly advance the manufacturing industry, yet warpage in printed polymer parts remains a persistent issue. A key factor in reducing warpage is the adhesion between the substrate and the printed product. Thus, this study evaluates the adhesion properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PETG), and polyamide 12 (PA12) to the printing bed. Different adhesives, such as polyvinyl acetate (PVA), polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), and polyetherimide (PEI), are investigated to improve the print bed adhesion. It was found that the surface energy of the print bed could significantly increase from 13.99 mN/m up to 63.16 mN/m when using these adhesives. Additionally, it was found that a higher print bed temperature leads to a reduced displacement during printing and thus a higher print bed adhesion. The adhesion performance is quantitatively assessed through uniaxial shear tests, evaluating the interfacial shear strength. The highest interfacial shear strength and thus the highest print bed adhesion was found for the PA12 printing material and the PVA adhesive with a value of 7.3 MPa. Based on these results, this study provides an important contribution to improving the dimensional accuracy of FFF printed components.