You need to make plastic skins for a prototype printer build

You need to make plastic skins for a prototype printer build. The skins require good toughness and the part has many flexible snap fits. Therefore, you need good functional strength at mostly room temperature conditions. What technology would you recommend using and what material?

Solution

For Prototype printer build the skins are to be very good in mechanicalproperties like toughness,flexibility,durability,elasticity, heat resistance

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS): An extremely common plastic that is easily 3D printed as well as injection molded.

Acetal (Polyoxymethylene; POM): A very common low-friction plastic that is useful for applications like gears.

Polypropylene (PP): A very flexible plastic that is best known for its application in living hinge geometries.

I Prefer ABS because its has very good mechanical properties.

Chemical Formula

(C8H8)x· (C4H6)y·(C3H3N)z)

Glass Transition

105 °C (221 °F) *

Typical Injection Molding Temperature

204 - 238 °C (400 - 460 °F) *

Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT)

98 °C (208 °F) at 0.46 MPa (66 PSI) **

UL RTI

60 °C (140 °F) ***

Tensile Strength

46 MPa (6600 PSI) ***

Flexural Strength

74 MPa (10800 PSI) ***

Specific Gravity

1.06

Shrink Rate

0.5-0.7 % (.005-.007 in/in)

The most important mechanical properties of ABS are impact resistance and toughness. A variety of modifications can be made to improve impact resistance, toughness, and heat resistance. The impact resistance can be amplified by increasing the proportions of polybutadiene in relation to styrene and also acrylonitrile, although this causes changes in other properties. Impact resistance does not fall off rapidly at lower temperatures. Stability under load is excellent with limited loads. Thus, by changing the proportions of its components, ABS can be prepared in different grades. Two major categories could be ABS for extrusion and ABS for injection moulding, then high and medium impact resistance. Generally ABS would have useful characteristics within a temperature range from 20 to 80 °C (4 to 176 °F)

ABS is easily machined. Common machining techniques include turning, drilling, milling, sawing, die-cutting and shearing. ABS can be cut with standard shop tools and line bent with standard heat strips. ABS can be chemically affixed to itself and other like-plastics

High Temperature heat-resistant material simulates the thermal performance of standard plastics and is ideal for thermal testing of static parts. The High Temperature PolyJet photopolymer can be combined with Rubber-like material to create a versatile range of materials with adjustable properties.

ABS\'s light weight and ability to be injection molded and extruded

How ABS to be made

ABS is most commonly polymerized through the process of emulsion (the mixture of multiple products that don’t typically combine into a single product). A well known example of an emulsified product is milk. ABS is also created, albeit less commonly, by a patented process known as continuous mass polymerization. Globally, the most common methodology to create ABS is the emulsion process.

It is important to note that because ABS is a thermoplastic material, it can be easily recycled as mentioned above. This means that a common way of producing ABS plastic is from other ABS plastic (i.e. making ABS from ABS

Chemical Formula	(C8H8)x· (C4H6)y·(C3H3N)z)
Glass Transition	105 °C (221 °F) *
Typical Injection Molding Temperature	204 - 238 °C (400 - 460 °F) *
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT)	98 °C (208 °F) at 0.46 MPa (66 PSI) **
UL RTI	60 °C (140 °F) ***
Tensile Strength	46 MPa (6600 PSI) ***
Flexural Strength	74 MPa (10800 PSI) ***
Specific Gravity	1.06
Shrink Rate	0.5-0.7 % (.005-.007 in/in)