Predicting the effect of build orientation and process temperatures on the performance of parts made by fused filament fabrication
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 1 November 2021
Issue publication date: 29 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The performance of the parts obtained by fused filament fabrication (FFF) is strongly dependent on the extent of bonding between adjacent filaments developing during the deposition stage. Bonding depends on the properties of the polymer material and is controlled by the temperature of the filaments when they come into contact, as well as by the time required for molecular diffusion. In turn, the temperature of the filaments is influenced by the set of operating conditions being used for printing. This paper aims at predicting the degree of bonding of realistic 3D printed parts, taking into consideration the various contacts arising during its fabrication, and the printing conditions selected.
Design/methodology/approach
A computational thermal model of filament cooling and bonding that was previously developed by the authors is extended here, to be able to predict the influence of the build orientation of 3D printed parts on bonding. The quality of a part taken as a case study is then assessed in terms of the degree of bonding, i.e. the percentage of volume exhibiting satisfactory bonding between contiguous filaments.
Findings
The complexity of the heat transfer arising from the changes in the thermal boundary conditions during deposition and cooling is well demonstrated for a case study involving a realistic 3D part. Both extrusion and build chamber temperature are major process parameters.
Originality/value
The results obtained can be used as practical guidance towards defining printing strategies for 3D printing using FFF. Also, the model developed could be directly applied for the selection of adequate printing conditions.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This work is funded by National Funds through FCT – Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, References UIDB/05256/2020, UIDP/05256/2020 and UIDB/04728/2020.
Partial support for this research has been provided by the Search-ON2: Revitalization of HPC infrastructure of UMinho, (NORTE-07–0162-FEDER-000086), co-funded by the North Portugal Regional Operational Programme (ON.2-O Novo Norte), under the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), at the University of Minho, Portugal.
Citation
Duarte, F.M., Covas, J.A. and da Costa, S.F. (2022), "Predicting the effect of build orientation and process temperatures on the performance of parts made by fused filament fabrication", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 704-715. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-04-2021-0084
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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