Mathematical Modelling of Temperature Distribution in Selected Parts of FFF Printer during 3D Printing Process

This work presented an FEM (finite element method) mathematical model that describes the temperature distribution in different parts of a 3D printer based on additive manufacturing process using filament extrusion during its operation. Variation in properties also originate from inconsistent choices of process parameters employed by individual manufacturers. Therefore, a mathematical model that calculates temperature changes in the filament (and the resulting print) during an FFF (fused filament fabrication) process was deemed useful, as it can estimate otherwise immeasurable properties (such as the internal temperature of the filament during the printing). Two variants of the model (both static and dynamic) were presented in this work. They can provide the user with the material's thermal history during the print. Such knowledge may be used in further analyses of the resulting prints. Thanks to the dynamic model, the cooling of the material on the printing bed can be traced for various printing speeds. Both variants simulate the printing of a PLA (Polylactic acid) filament with the nozzle temperature of 220 degrees C, bed temperature of 60 degrees C, and printing speed of 5, 10, and 15 m/s, respectively.

Automated summary

The study presents a mathematical model based on the finite element method to describe the temperature distribution in different parts of a 3D printer during operation. The model provides users with the material's thermal history and estimates property changes during the printing process. Results include static and dynamic model variants, as well as simulations of PLA filament printing at different speeds.