Effect Of The Support Structure On Flexural Properties Of Fabricated Part At Different Parameters In The Fdm Process

Abstract

Traditional fused deposition modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing method in which a part is fabricated using layer upon layer approach. Due to the imminent nature of this approach, support structures are needed to sustain overhanging elements of the parts, particularly for the production of metal components and complex geometries. Several works are going on to minimize the usage of supports by using improved support strategies. However, the use of different support strategies at different pre-defined machine settings may lead to varied properties of the final printed part. In this work, the influence of support strategies on flexural properties at four different parameters is experimentally determined in the fused deposition modeling process. Two support strategies, Line and Grid, are adopted while fabricating the same 3D part at three different printer parameter settings. The flexural properties of the samples are compared for assessing the impact of two support strategies, as well as the support material usage and printing time. Results reveal that two support methods lead to varied flexural strength and print qualities at varied parameters.