Experimental investigation of mechanical and thermal properties of polycarbonate (PC) and carbon-fiber reinforced ABS (CFR-ABS) composites fabricated by fused filament fabrication (FFF)

Additive manufacturing is a post-industrial revolution breakthrough that consents to the production of complex geometries with minimal waste of materials. Fused filament fabrication (FFF), in particular, has gained increasing popularity in the automotive and consumer goods sectors because it can customize parts at low cost and with ease. To improve the mechanical performance of thermoplastic parts, reinforced polymer matrices, especially those with synthetic fillers like carbon fiber have been increasingly utilized. Although single-phase filler reinforcement has been explored in the majority of the works, the synergistic advantages of hybrid stacking sequences and stacked layers are often overlooked. To address this limitation, this present research introduces a multi-layered composite printed from alternating stacks of polycarbonate (PC) and carbon fiber-reinforced ABS (CFR-ABS) and emphasizes the mechanical and thermal properties of such sequences. Mechanical characterization confirmed that composition and stacking sequence play an important role in strengthening, toughening, and thermal stability of printed composites, and hence the effectiveness of this hybrid design strategy in overall performance enhancement. The 3D printed composite with a PC/CFR-ABS/PC stack presented the highest tensile strength of 54.07 MPa, respectively. The flexural and shear strength of the PC/CFR-ABS/PC are 62.81 MPa and 9.96 MPa. The compressive and Impact Strength of these stacks are 53.52 MPa and 3.25 J/cm². Thermal analysis showed minor variations in the glass transition temperature (Tg) between the different composite configurations, which indicate stable thermal performance. The crystallinity content was uniform, indicating uniform material processing. The thermal expansion performance was significantly different, with the major cause being the layer stacking sequence of PC and carbon-reinforced ABS layers. Variations in thermal expansion performance indicate the effect of material orientation on dimension stability control under thermal loading. Morphological characterization showed good interface adhesion and appropriate matrix–filler interaction between PC layers and carbon-reinforced ABS layers. The bonding at the fracture surfaces ensures that the resulting composite structure has the potential to be utilized in light and mechanically intensive applications. Furthermore, the stacking approach adopted in this study can be extended to various additive manufacturing systems. This category includes industries like automotive, aerospace, and consumer products.