Features of application in critical structures of products made by fused deposition using 3D printing technology

Abstract

The technology of hot-melt 3D printing has prospects for military equipment and other special applications, provided that necessary requirements for the quality, strength and durability of plastic components are met. However, there is a problem of insufficient accuracy and unexplored patterns of change in technological parameters during 3D printing, which makes it necessary to manufacture critical structures using plasma deposition technology. The main purpose of the article is to study and evaluate the features of using the fused deposition method in 3D printing technology for the manufacture of products that are critical special-purpose structures and require increased strength and durability. To achieve this purpose, the technology and means of 3D printing by fused deposition method (filament feed control system with a circular encoder) have been improved. It has been established that the use of the filament feed control system can reduce the number of visually detected defects on the surface of printed products by an average of 71.7%, but increase the amount of wire consumed by 13% and the average printing time by 15-17%, which is due to the lack of supporting structures for the resulting surfaces. The research conducted in this paper has shown an increase in delamination strength of elements of critical structures, such as brackets for mounting a laser rangefinder to the body of an unmanned aerial vehicle. With the help of the filament feed control system, the strength of these elements has increased from 27.4 (tensile) and 32.1 (compressive) to 38 (tensile) and 44.3 MPa (compressive). There is also a more than 2.7-fold increase in the number of dynamic load cycles during endurance tests. This study indicates greater dynamic stability and less fatigue of the elements manufactured by fused 3D printing using a filament feed control system. The results will have practical applications in various fields, including military applications