Investigation of Layer Based Thermal Behavior in Fused Deposition Modeling Process by Infrared Thermography

Abstract

There are numerous research efforts that address the monitoring and control of additive manufacturing (AM) processes to improve part quality. Much less research exists on process monitoring and control of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). FDM is inherently a thermal process and thus, lends itself to being study by thermography. In this regard, there are various process parameters or process signatures such as built-bed temperature, temperature mapping of parts during deposition of layers, and the nozzle extrusion temperature that may monitor to optimize the quality of fabricated parts. In this work, we applied image based thermography layer by layer with the usage of an infrared camera to investigate the thermal behavior and thermal evolution of the FDM process for the standard samples printed by ABS filament. The combination of the layer based temperature profile plot and the temporal plot has been utilized to understand the temperature distribution and average temperature through the layers under fabrication. This information provides insights for potential modification of the scan strategy and optimization of process parameters in future research, based on the thermal evolution. Accordingly, this can reduce some frequent defects which have roots in thermal characteristics of the deposited layers and also, improve the surface quality and/or mechanical properties of the fabricated parts. In addition, this approach for monitoring the process will allow manufacturers to build, qualify, and certify parts with greater throughput and accelerate the proliferation of products into high-quality applications.