Abstract
The evolution of fused filament fabrication (FFF) technology, initially restricted to the manufacturing of prototypes, has led to its application in the manufacture of finished functional products with excellent mechanical properties. However, FFF technology entails drawbacks in aspects, such as dimensional and geometric precision, and surface finish. These aspects are crucial for the assembly and service life of functional parts, with geometric qualities lagging far behind the optimum levels obtained by conventional manufacturing processes. A further shortcoming is the proliferation of low cost FFF 3D printers with low quality mechanical components, and malfunctions that have a critical impact on the quality of finished products. FFF product quality is directly influenced by printer settings, material properties in terms of cured layers, and the functional mechanical efficiency of the 3D printer. This paper analyzes the effect of the build orientation (Bo), layer thickness (Lt), feed rate (Fr) parameters, and plate-extruder movements on the dimensional accuracy, flatness error, and surface texture of polylactic acid (PLA) using a low cost open-source FFF 3D printer. The mathematical modelling of geometric properties was performed using artificial neural networks (ANN). The results showed that thinner layer thickness generated lower dimensional deviations, and feed rate had a minor influence on dimensional accuracy. The flatness error and surface texture showed a quasi-linear behavior correlated to layer thickness and feed rate, with alterations produced by 3D printer malfunctions. The mathematical models provide a comprehensive analysis of the geometric behavior of PLA processing by FFF, in order to identify optimum print settings for the processing of functional components.
Highlights
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a very promising technology for the processing of polymers and reinforced polymers, due to its versatility and simplicity in building all types of geometries using a wide range of materials
fused filament fabrication (FFF) is one of the most used additive manufacturing processes owing to the simplicity of the processing procedures, where an extruded thermoplastic filament is deposited in individually superimposed layers to build a 3D geometry
2a).inThis allows for of X-Y), dimensional deviations produced by positioning of the(Figure extruder producing each the analysis of dimensional deviations produced by the precision positioning of the extruder in layer and the cured filament, and the dimensional deviations with the accumulation of layers, which producing each layer and the cured filament, and the dimensional deviations with the accumulation was influenced by the movement of the build plate and the cured composite materials layer by layer
Summary
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a very promising technology for the processing of polymers and reinforced polymers, due to its versatility and simplicity in building all types of geometries using a wide range of materials. The development of FFF has been exponential, with a technological evolution has enabled the manufacture of prototypes, and of functional components with good mechanical properties. Notwithstanding, despite these improvements, crucial aspects, such as dimensional and geometric precision, or surface quality still lags far behind the Polymers 2019, 11, 1581; doi:10.3390/polym11101581 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers. PLA polymer is one of the most extensively used materials in functional products, as it is biodegradable, non-contaminant material, exhibiting good mechanical properties that are frequently used in aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering applications [3,4,5]
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