Abstract
This paper describes a surface-roughness study performed on samples manufactured additively using the Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology. The samples were divided into three groups based on the material used in the process: polypropylene (PP), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and polyamide 11 (PA11). Subsequently, they were tested by means of a roughness-measuring system, which made it possible to determine the typical surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rq, Rz). The tests were designed to examine whether the placement and orientation of 3D objects while printing, in connection with the material used, can significantly influence the surface quality of MJF-printed objects. The results show that the TPU samples have a surface roughness much higher than the PP and PA11 ones, which exhibit roughness levels very similar to each other. It can also be concluded that surfaces printed vertically (along the Z-axis) tend to be less smooth—similarly to the surfaces of objects made of TPU located in the central zones of the print chamber during printing. This information may be of value in cases where low surface roughness is preferred (e.g., manufacturing patient-specific orthoses), although this particular study does not focus on one specific application.
Highlights
Additive manufacturing in the form of 3D printing is becoming more and more accessible and affordable
Even though thermoplastics are still the most commonly used materials in the field of 3D printing, they are not the only ones that can be used for that purpose
Materials that are commonly used in Selective laser sintering (SLS) include mainly polyamides, especially polyamide 11 (PA11) and PA12
Summary
Additive manufacturing in the form of 3D printing is becoming more and more accessible and affordable. Three-dimensional prints can be analyzed in a number of ways—for example, from the point of view of their watertightness [2], strength [3], roughness [4], or their general dimensional accuracy [5] Both the material and the technology used can definitely influence the quality of the final product, and that includes its surface quality. Materials that are commonly used in SLS include mainly polyamides (nylons), especially PA11 and PA12 It is significantly older than the Multi Jet Fusion technology, as it was initially developed as early as 1986 [11]. The surface roughness of the three different materials—polypropylene (PP), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), and polyamide 11 (PA11)—was tested Those materials are not the most common when it comes to MJF printing [18], which is why they seem to provide an interesting area of research. Machines 2022, 10, 49 perform better in terms of the resulting surface quality, which is one of the goals of this study
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