Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) has developed rapidly since its inception in the 1980s. AM is perceived as an environmentally friendly and sustainable technology and has already gained a lot of attention globally. The potential freedom of design offered by AM is, however, often limited when printing complex geometries due to an inability to support the stresses inherent within the manufacturing process. Additional support structures are often needed, which leads to material, time and energy waste. Research in support structures is, therefore, of great importance for the future and further improvement of additive manufacturing. This paper aims to review the varied research that has been performed in the area of support structures. Fifty-seven publications regarding support structure optimization are selected and categorized into six groups for discussion. A framework is established in which future research into support structures can be pursued and standardized. By providing a comprehensive review and discussion on support structures, AM can be further improved and developed in terms of support waste in the future, thus, making AM a more sustainable technology.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing (AM), known as 3D printing, direct digital manufacturing and solid freeform fabrication, is defined by the joint ISO/ASTM terminology standard to be the “process of joining materials to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing and formative manufacturing methodologies” [1]. 3D printing has been mentioned as a revolution by “The Economist” and others due to its distinctive manufacturing method [2]
Another common combination is a part printed with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) while a sacrificial support structure is printed with polylactic acid (PLA), which is later selectively removed by immersing the 3D printed structure in a solution of isopropyl alcohol and potassium hydroxide to remove the soluble support structures (PLA), while the ABS component will remain intact [54]
This paper gives a comprehensive review on the range of research that has been carried out in the area of additive manufacturing support structures
Summary
Additive manufacturing (AM), known as 3D printing, direct digital manufacturing and solid freeform fabrication, is defined by the joint ISO/ASTM terminology standard to be the “process of joining materials to make parts from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing and formative manufacturing methodologies” [1]. 3D printing has been mentioned as a revolution by “The Economist” and others due to its distinctive manufacturing method [2]. The removal of support structures after printing often requires a significant amount of manual work, especially in the case of metal processes. Shapes of the printed parts may move or deform during the printing process, typically when fabricating unbalanced parts or the raw material (powder, resin) is unable to sustain the weight of that part In this case, the support structure plays the role of a fixture. The set-up of STL (or equivalent data file) models ready for printing requires the specification of the print orientation and the subsequent generation and placement of support structures. The build orientation of an AM part refers to the direction that is orthogonal to the layers of the support structure optimization and the use of support baths will be discussed with reference to how they influence the support usage and final part quality
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