Analysis of dimensional quality in FDM printed Nylon 6 parts

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process is an economic 3D printing process prone to surface and dimensional defects. Nylon's water absorption properties make it more prone to the said inaccuracies. These inaccuracies were studied with the help of appropriate artifacts and Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). A standard test artifact was designed for investigating the curling and geometric form errors. Nine configurations of the artifact model were proposed and 3D printed using optimum process parameters. Artifact that has least accuracy was selected for further investigation. Taguchi's L9 Orthogonal Array for 3D printing process parameters has been adopted for 3D printing the selected artifact. Geometrical form errors of the 3D printed artifact were evaluated using CMM measurement. ANOVA test was performed on the observed dimensional deviations and the optimum process parameters were ranked based on S/N ratios.

Automated summary

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process is an economical 3D printing process, but it is prone to surface and dimensional defects. This study investigates the inaccuracies in the FDM process using appropriate artifacts and Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). A standard test artifact is designed to study curling and geometric form errors. Nine configurations of the artifact model are 3D printed using optimum process parameters. The artifact with the least accuracy is selected for further investigation. Taguchi's L9 Orthogonal Array is used for 3D printing the selected artifact. The geometric form errors of the 3D printed artifact are evaluated using CMM measurement, and the optimal process parameters are determined based on ANOVA test results.