Resumo:
This study investigates the feasibility of reusing recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) from 3D printing processes as a matrix for the production of glass fiber-reinforced semipreg composites. The main objective was to analyze and compare three distinct manufacturing methodologies: (1) hot pressing of the composite with a heated matrix; (2) submersion of the reinforcement in an ABS matrix diluted in acetone; and (3) cold pressing of the composite after diluting the ABS in acetone. The results indicated that the hot pressing method was ineffective due to the high viscosity of the polymer, which prevented adequate fiber impregnation. The submersion method also proved infeasible, as the difference in density between the materials led to segregation during solvent evaporation. The third methodology, combining acetone dilution (at a 1:1.5 ratio of ABS to acetone) and subsequent cold pressing, was the most effective in producing a cohesive and homogeneous composite. However, despite its uniform appearance, the final material exhibited significant porosity, which compromised interfacial adhesion and reduced its tensile strength. Mechanical tests revealed an average tensile strength of 97.8±7.7 MPa and an average elastic modulus of 19.6±11.6 GPa. Furthermore, the composite exhibited an interlaminar shear stress of 340 N, representing a 61.2% increase compared to another study that produced a similar material via fused deposition modeling (FDM). It is concluded that, although this combined approach is promising, future work should focus on reducing porosity to improve the mechanical properties and enable the structural application of the resulting composite.
