Assessing quality in extrusion based additive manufacturing technologies

Abstract

Quality is a magic word that has fascinated the people since the early days of civilization and today, quality is the only mantra to survive. Quality is the only relevant attribute associated with product and processes that makes any technology in-demand. The quality of the parts produced by Additive Manufacturing (AM) Technologies depends on many factors, like print speed, nozzle temperature etc. The aim of this work is the identification of influence factors that affect the performance measures of extrusion based Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies, namely, Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). These processes can be characterized by a set of influence factors, like print speed, infill density, temperature; layer thickness and build orientation are responsible for quality of the product. In this work, Grey relational Analysis (GRA) is employed. GRA is a method which enables determination of the relational degree of every factor in the system. The method can be used for systems that are not completely described and with relatively few available data. Reliable technique of optimization GRA is clubbed with another established technique; called Interrelation ship Diagram (ID), to identify and optimize the influence factors, that yields highest performance characteristics. Manufacturing Combinations are evaluated against performance measures. In the earlier research, the authors have applied same tool, GRA clubbed with 7QC tools, to evaluate extrinsic and intrinsic qualities of the parts produced by FDM, In this research, the entire focus is paid to the intrinsic properties of the parts produced by FDM. This research will have a greater impact on the quality of the parts produced by the FDM.