Bend Testing of Parts Made by Rapid Prototyping with Respect to Possible Use in Robotics

Recently, the Rapid Prototyping technology (RP hereafter) has been increasingly used for a final product, which requires detailed knowledge of designing parts made by the RP technology. In order to apply parts made by the RP technology in robotics, and design in general, in a wider range, one of the most important material parameters is their bend strength. The paper describes an experimental determination of bend strength in parts printed on a 3D printer. The parts were made of polycarbonate. The tests were carried out in parts with various types of internal structure. The achieved results can be implemented when designing parts made by 3D printing provided that professional printers are used.