DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A 3D PRINTER USING FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING TECHNIQUE

ABSTRACT

The additive manufacturing industry is an intriguing and growing sector in modern manufacturing. The most known form of additive manufacturing is 3D printing. In 3D printing, the design of an object is created by using 3D modelling software and by adding layer to material layer, the 3D printer creates the object until the object is formed. Plastics, powders, and filaments are among the printing materials that can be used to create the object.  The FDM 3D printer was designed using the appropriate equations in order to size the system’s main components. In view of the design calculations, machinability, market availability and material costs, the materials for the components have then been selected. The 3D printer was then built with the materials selected.  The system was constructed with NEMA 17 stepper motors to power the various axis of motion. It was design to have Cartesian constrained motion. Borosilicate glass was used for the Hot bed that the 0.4mm nozzle printed on. The printing parameters where tested and the Z-axis offset of the nozzle from the hot bed was obtained to be in-between 0.1 mm and 0.6 mm. While the printing speed for operation was between 60 mm/s and 100 mm/s.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND

Since the dawn of the industrial age in the 18^th century, humans have been searching for the most efficient methods of manufacturing. In modern engineering, one form of manufacturing that has grown rapidly due to its quick production times, high levels of accuracy and relative ease when compared to other manufacturing methods is additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is the process of creating a solid 3Dimensional object from a digital model. Additive manufacturing technologies continue to evolve at a rapid pace. What sets additive manufacturing technologies apart from classical approaches to machining and manufacturing their primary ability to replicate any given geometric complexity; digital production of goods by means of 3D printing. is very quick, cost-effective, and waste-free. the most popular 3D printing technology is fused deposition modeling (FDM), which is based on the extrusion and fusion of a plastic filament. Due to the simplicity of personal 3D printing equipment and cheap raw materials, this technique is universally used for a wide range of purposes.

An object is built in an additive procedure by setting up successive material layers until the product is made. Each layer is a very thinly sliced transverse part of the object. 3D printing is the opposite of a subtractive manufacture which, with a milling machine, cut out/hollow a piece of metal or plastic. 3D printing allows you to produce complex forms with less material than conventional production methods. (3DPrinting.com, 2021).

At present day, 3D printing is steadily growing in its applications and its adaptations. From 3D printed homes to printing objects in most metals. The price of 3D printers has dropped, and their accuracy has increased since the first 3D printers were made in the early 1980s.

In 1981, Hideo Kodama of the Institute of Industrial Research Municipalities of Nagoya provided an account with photopolymers of a fast-working prototype system. A solid impressed model in layers was constructed, each of which was a cross section in the model. Three years later, Charles Hull invented stereolithography, and in 1984, made 3D printing history. Stereolithography allows designers to produce three – dimensional images by use of digitized data to make a physical item.

The Arsenio Hall Show, in 1992, Bill Clinton played sax – and 3D Systems produced the world’s first stereo-lithographic (SLA) machine, enabling complicated parts to be manufactured layer after layer, under the fraction of time ordinarily taken. In the same year, startup organization DTM built the world’s first SLS, which fires a laser at a granular or powdered material rather than a liquid.

These technologies were in their infancy and were not perfect; there was some warping in the printing material as it hardened, and the machines were prohibitively expensive for home inventors, but their potential was undeniable (Goldberg, 2018). Since then till present day, 3D-printing as a technology is still expanding in its adaptation and potential.

 

1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM

Figure 1: Skeletal structure of PLA

Figure 1 shows the chemical structure of PLA (Polylactic Acid), It is the material that objects are 3D printed in. There is huge market potential for modelling. From applications in education where Polylactic Acid 3D printed models can be used for educational demonstrations to architecture where there could be needed to show physical models of landscapes, buildings, and other physical structures to prospective clients. 3D printers can also print parts that form larger functional devices.

In this project, an FDM 3d printer was constructed using the Tronxy XY-2 Pro Template. The 3D printer was analyzed to find the critical adjustments that can be made to improve the quality of the printed materials.

 

1.3 MOTIVATION

3D printing is no longer the new field of manufacturing that it once was, there are now established best practices and measures that both professional and hobbyists take when working with 3D printing machinery. The market for desktop FDM 3D printer designs like the Tronxy XY-2 Pro is skyrocketing (Gordeev et al, 2018), the possible applications of the technology and it’s potential for growth in an economy like Nigeria’s is hindered by the publics lack of understanding of the technology. This project will serve as an exposition of 3D printing technology to its readers and help shed light on its potential for growth.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study is limited to the design philosophy and construction process of a Fused Deposition Modelling 3D printer. It will also elaborate on the material selection process and the reason for selecting those materials.

The process of Fused Deposition Manufacturing (FDM Printing) and the 3D Printers operational principles would also be covered in this paper.

 

1.5 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this project is to construct an FDM 3D Printer. The objectives are:

1. Design and construct an FDM 3D printer.
2. Test the functionality by printing 3D models.
3. Analyze the accuracy and inaccuracies of the printed materials by comparing them to the digital 3D Models.

DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF A 3D PRINTER USING FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING TECHNIQUE

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