Abstract
The ability to form closed cavities inside the part printed is an important feature of Fused Filament Fabrication technology. A typical part consists of a dense shell bearing the primary load, filled with low-density plastic scaffold (infill). Such a constitution of the part provides in most cases appropriate strength and low weight. However, if the printed part shape includes horizontal (orthogonal to printer’s Z axis) flat surfaces other than its top and bottom surface, then the shell of the part becomes interrupted, which may lead to drastic drop in the ability of the part to withstand loads. In the current study, a representative sample of a part with interrupted shell and testing apparatus is developed. Influence of shell and base thicknesses, as well as influence of the infill density on the part strength, are studied. Different approaches to the sample shape modification were applied and tested. The part shape optimization made with respect to peculiarities of Fused Filament Fabrication technology resulted in increment of the force, required to fracture the part from 483 to 1096 N and in decreased part mass from 36.9 to 30.2 g.
Highlights
Modern digital additive fabrication machines (3D printers) are often subdivided into “desktop”(personal), “professional,” and “industrial” ones
In case of 3D printing, such a transition implies shell interruption and critical weak spot appearance. As it is shown by results for shapes 3 and 4, redistribution of material within a given, initially flawed, shape can significantly increase the part strength, but the geometry optimization effect taking into account 3D printing features is less significant than the effect of geometry modification performed in accordance with the basic principles of designing products for convenient manufacturing
In order to increase FFF part strength, its geometry can be optimized both by adding volume to
Summary
Modern digital additive fabrication machines (3D printers) are often subdivided into “desktop”. The limited use of desktop printers for manufacturing of functional parts capable to handle significant loads is largely caused by lack of trust for the new fabrication means by designers and engineers This lack of trust is backed by the widespread belief that the strength of 3D printed parts is dramatically lower in comparison with parts manufactured using traditional technologies, based on subtraction or deformation of material. The second subcategory comprises parts which have a shell that is interrupted one or more times during the printing process, that is, there are times when the threads forming the shell of the layer lie on the filaments forming the base, infill, or support Such models can be exemplified by the “Spool holder” [48], “Plane Handle” [49], or the “Hook” [50].
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