Abstract
This study discusses the frictional wear performance of three 3D-printed materials, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), while evaluating different layer thickness levels. The materials were subjected to wear volume and rate tests by ball-on-disc wear tests at various thickness levels (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mm) and sliding distances. Lastly, SEM analysis was carried out to study the wear tracks and debris developed during the testing. Quantitatively, ABS maintained a mean wear volume below 0.15 mm(3) across all test conditions (e.g., 0.05 ± 0.01 mm(3) at 0.1 mm layer thickness and 150 m sliding distance), whereas PLA and HIPS recorded much higher averages of 1.5 mm(3) and 3.0 mm(3), respectively. With the increase in layer thickness, which caused an upward trend in the obtained results, the wear volume of the investigated materials also increased. ABS exhibited the smallest material loss of all three polymers; for example, at 0.1 mm layer thickness and a 150 m sliding distance, the mean wear volume was only 0.05 mm(3), and even under the harshest condition tested (0.3 mm layer thickness, 300 m), the value remained below 0.15 mm(3). PLA and HIPS showed higher wear volumes, while HIPS had the lowest resistance among the three materials. The multifunctional wear behavior difference contributed by material type was 59.76%, as shown through ANOVA, and that by layer thickness was 21.32%. Among the parameters investigated, material type had the largest control in wear behavior due to inherent variation in the structural characteristics of the material such as interlayer adhesion, toughness, and brittleness. For instance, the amorphous nature of ABS and its good layer adhesion provided significantly superior wear resistance compared to the brittle PLA and the poorly adhered HIPS. It is highlighted in this research that selecting appropriate material and layer thickness combinations can improve the durability of 3D-printed components.