Effect of part orientation on dimensional accuracy, part strength, and surface quality of three dimensional printed part

Abstract

Additive manufacturing such as fused deposition modelling (FDM) three dimensional printing machine can deliver complex shapes with fine details in relatively short building time using various materials (albeit mostly polymers in this case). However, the quality of the printed results might vary depending on the set input. The present study aims to investigate the effects of part orientation on dimensional accuracy, part strength, total cost, and surface quality of a three dimensional printed part. Five test specimens were printed on FDM machine with polylactic acid (PLA) as the material by varying the build orientation, i.e. X0°Y0°, X90°Y0°, X0°Y90°, X0°Y45°, and X90°Y45°. Dimensional accuracy, surface roughness, and part strength were measured by using digital vernier calliper, universal testing machine, and portable surface roughness tester, respectively. The results show that part orientation influences printed part quality, especially in accuracy and surface roughness. No part orientation studied delivered all positive quality expected, but overall, X0°Y0° orientation resulted the highest quality in terms of dimensional accuracy, mechanical properties, and cost.