Effect of narrow infill density gap on the compressive properties of 3D printed carbon fibre reinforced acrylonitrile butadiene styrene

This study aims at assessing the effect of a narrow infill density gap on the compressive properties of 3D printed commercial carbon fibre reinforced ABS. Compressive specimens, with infill densities of 70, 80, 90 and 100 % were 3D printed via an FDM 3D printer and evaluated. The differences in compressive properties at infill densities of 80 and 90 % were statistically not significant although a strong correlation was quantified between the infill density and the compressive properties. This finding can be further employed to determine an appropriate infill density for targeted mechanical properties at a low material consumption for specific applications.