Improving the geometric accuracy in large-scale additive manufacturing of fungus-like adhesive materials

Abstract

This paper presents results on measurement, analysis, and improvement of the geometric accuracy, namely the difference between the design and printed shapes, in additive manufacturing (AM) of Fungus-Like Adhesive Materials (FLAM). FLAM is a family of natural biological composite materials comprised of cellulose and chitin. They are 3D printed (3DP) using a large-scale AM system based on material extrusion (ME) principles. FLAM is transported and deposited in a form of a high-viscosity colloid which hardens via evaporative loss of its water content at ambient conditions. Various factors affect the geometric accuracy of 3D printing, namely the pliable nature of the material as well as the characteristics of the AM system. The approach used to reduce geometric errors is based on process parameter control via statistical analysis of objects 3D scanned immediately after being 3D printed. Deviations between the design and printed geometries were used to guide error correction by adjusting the machine path used for 3D printing.