A Study of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3-D Printing Using Mechanical Testing and Thermography

Abstract

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) represents one of the most common techniques for rapid proto-typing in additive manufacturing (AM). This work applies image based thermography to monitor the FDM process in-situ. The nozzle temperature, print speed and print orientation were adjusted during the fabrication process of each specimen. Experimental and numerical analysis were performed on the fabricated specimens. The combination of the layer wise temperature profile plot and temporal plot provide insights for specimens fabricated in x, y and z-axis orientation. For the x-axis orientation build possessing 35 layers, Specimens B16 and B7 printed with nozzle temperature of 225 C and 235 C respectively, and at printing speed of 60 mm/s and 100 mm/s respectively with the former possessing the highest modulus, yield strength, and ultimate tensile strength. For the y-axis orientation build possessing 59 layers, Specimens B23, B14 and B8 printed with nozzle temperature of 215 C, 225 C and 235 C respectively, and at printing speed of 80 mm/s, 80 mm/s and 60 mm/s respectively with the former possessing the highest modulus and yield strength, while the latter the highest ultimate tensile strength. For the z-axis orientation build possessing 1256 layers, Specimens B6, B24 and B9 printed with nozzle temperature of 235 C, 235 C and 235 ➦C respectively, and at printing speed of 80 mm/s, 80 mm/s and 60 mm/s respectively with the former possessing the highest modulus and ultimate tensile strength, while B24 had the highest yield strength and B9 the lowest modulus, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength. The results show that the prints oriented in the y-axis orientation perform relatively better than prints in the x-axis and z-axis orientation.