Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
PROGRESS IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, 2025 (ESCI)
This study investigates the effects of salt remelting treatment on the mechanical and tribological properties of 3D-printed polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fabricated via fused deposition modeling (FDM). Samples were treated at four different temperatures (170 degrees C, 190 degrees C, 210 degrees C, and 220 degrees C) using a fine salt medium to achieve uniform thermal exposure and structural confinement. Tensile, flexural, Shore D hardness, and adhesive wear tests were conducted. Among all conditions, the 210 degrees C treatment yielded the best results, the tensile strength increased by up to 20.6%, flexural strength by 41.8%, and hardness by 9.6%. Additionally, the wear rate decreased by 74.2% at the optimal temperature of 210 degrees C. Lower temperatures (170 degrees C and 190 degrees C) resulted in partial improvements, while treatment at 220 degrees C caused slight thermal degradation. The performance enhancement is attributed to improved interlayer bonding and reduced void formation during the salt-assisted thermal process. This work introduces a novel, low-cost, and scalable post-processing technique for enhancing the structural integrity and functional performance of FDM-printed PET components.