Critical parameters influencing the quality of prototypes in fused deposition modelling

Rapid prototyping (RP) meets the current needs in the industry to shorten design cycles and improve the design quality. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is one of the key technologies of RP. Various process parameters used in FDM affect the quality of the prototype. Work was undertaken to assess the influence of the parameters on the quality characteristics of the prototypes using Taguchi technique. This paper discusses the results of the study and the conclusions arrived from it. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.