Tribological characteristics of a microtextured polymer fabricated via an additive manufacturing process

With the growing interest in 3D printing, many studies are being conducted to replace conventional manufacturing processes. In terms of mechanical applications, however, research on the tribological characteristics of 3D printing components has not been sufficiently conducted. This study investigated the influences of surface texturing and roughness on 3D printed specimens. Specimens with and without surface texture were printed using a 3D printer, and their frictional behavior was compared. The friction coefficient of the textured specimen was smaller than that of the untextured specimen. Contact analysis was conducted to evaluate the mechanism. The analysis suggested that the real contact area of the untextured specimen was similar to that of the textured specimen during the initial stage. However, the wear of asperities during the friction test increased the real contact area of the untextured specimen. Surface roughness was verified to influence the untextured specimen more significantly than the textured specimen in terms of tribological behavior.