Abstract
This paper investigates the quality performance of FDM 3D printed models with thin walls. The design of experiments method (DOE) was used and nine models of the same size were fabricated in a low-cost 3D printer using polylactic acid (PLA) material. Two limited studied parameters were considered (extraction temperature and wall thickness), each one having three levels. External X and Y dimensions were measured using a micrometer, as well as four surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rz, Rt, Rsm) with a surface tester. Two optimization techniques (the Taguchi approach and Grey relational analysis) were utilized along with statistical analysis to examine how the temperature and wall thickness affect the dimensional accuracy and the surface quality of the parts. The results showed that high extraction temperature and median wall thickness values optimize both dimensional accuracy and surface roughness, while temperature is the most important factor.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing is an advanced manufacturing technology in which computer-aided designs (CAD) are used for the manufacture of three-dimensional (3D) parts by adding material layer by layer [1]
Some very important conclusions of this review study are: (i) high dimensional accuracy is achieved with low values of layer thickness, extrusion temperature and number of shells, (ii) high surface quality can be obtained with low layer thickness and high extrusion temperature, (iii) factors such as infill pattern, print speed, shell width, or extrusion temperature are less studied compared to layer thickness, build orientation, raster width, or raster orientation, and (iv) there are limited studies which optimize multiple parts’ characteristics simultaneously
As it is mentioned above, the goal of this study is to optimize the dimensional accuracy and surface roughness of the fused deposition modeling (FDM) printed parts. This is achieved by calculating the process parameter levels which minimize the absolute values of the dimensional deviation and the surface roughness parameters
Summary
Additive manufacturing is an advanced manufacturing technology in which computer-aided designs (CAD) are used for the manufacture of three-dimensional (3D) parts by adding material layer by layer [1]. This method offers the benefit to produce complex parts with shorter cycle time and lower cost compared to traditional manufacturing processes [2,3]. In FDM, a thermoplastic material is heated and extruded from a hot nozzle, which deposits it in a controlled manner on the printing platform to construct an object [8]. The main advantages of the FDM process are considered to be its simplicity, the high-speed printing, and its low cost [9,10]
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