INDEX

1. Abstract

2. Introduction

3. Fused Deposition Modeling

4. Selective Laser Sintering & Selective Laser Melting

5. Background study

a.

Printing material

b.

Slicing method

c.

Shell

d.

Infill

e.

Raft

f.

Orientation of the part

g.

Raster angle

10

h.

Machine specifications

11

6. Experimental method

11

7. Results and discussions

12

8. Conclusion

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1. ABSTRACT
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is the process of making objects from 3D
model data by joining materials layer by layer, as opposed to subtractive
manufacturing methodologies, such as traditional machining. The term Additive
Manufacturing includes a wide range of technologies, such as: laser sintering,
FDM, stereolithography, and many more. In these technologies, fused deposition
modeling is widely used for modeling, prototyping and production applications.
A FDM machine with ABS filament was employed to print a rectangular bar of
required dimensions. The printed part was cut to analyze the cross section. The
thickness of layers, thickness of walls, angle of printing the layers and the infill
pattern of the part were analyzed.

2. INTRODUCTION
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an appropriate name to describe the
technologies that build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material, whether
the material is plastic, metal, concrete, or even human tissue. Common to AM
technologies is the use of a computer, 3D modeling software, machine equipment
and layering material. Once a CAD sketch is produced, the AM equipment reads
in data from the CAD file and lays downs or adds successive layers of liquid,
powder, sheet material or other, in a layer-upon-layer manner to fabricate a 3D
object.
The term AM encompasses many technologies including subsets like 3D
Printing, Rapid Prototyping (RP), Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), layered
manufacturing and additive fabrication.AM application is limitless. Early use of
AM in the form of Rapid Prototyping focused on pre-production visualization
models. More recently, AM is being used to fabricate end-use products in aircraft,
dental restorations, medical implants, automobiles, and even fashion products.
While the adding of layer-upon-layer approach is simple, there are many
applications of AM technology with degrees of sophistication to meet diverse
needs including: a visualization tool for design, a means to create highly
customized products, as industrial tooling, to produce small lots of production parts
and production of human organs.
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A number of different 3D Printing technologies exist and are universally

available. Some are preferable for rapid prototyping during the development
process, whereas others are suited for rapid manufacturing of production-ready
parts. The commonest ones are listed below and are readily accessible to small
manufacturers.

Stereolithography(SLA)
Digital Light Processing(DLP)
Fused deposition modeling (FDM)
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
Selective laser melting (SLM)
Electronic Beam Melting (EBM)
Laminated object manufacturing (LOM)

3. FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING

Objects created with an FDM printer start out as computer-aided design (CAD)
files. Before an object can be printed, its CAD file must be converted to a format
that a 3D printer can understand - usually .stl format.
FDM printers use two kinds of materials, a modeling material, which
constitutes the finished object, and a support material, which acts as a scaffolding
to support the object as its being printed.
During printing, these materials in the form of plastic threads or filaments,
which are unwound from a coil and fed through an extrusion nozzle. The nozzle
melts the filaments and extrudes them onto a base, sometimes called a build
platform or table. Both the nozzle and the base are controlled by a computer that
translates the dimensions of an object into X, Y and Z coordinates for the nozzle
and base to follow during printing.
In a typical FDM system, the extrusion nozzle moves over the build platform
horizontally and vertically, drawing a cross section of an object onto the platform.
This thin layer of plastic cools and hardens, immediately binding to the layer
beneath it. Once a layer is completed, the base is lowered to make room for the
next layer of plastic.

Printing time depends on the size of the object being manufactured. Small
objects and tall, thin objects print quickly, while larger, more geometrically
complex objects take longer to print. Compared to other 3D printing methods, such
as stereolithography (SLA) or selective laser sintering (SLS), FDM is a fairly slow
process.
Once an object comes off the FDM printer, its support materials are removed
either by soaking the object in a water and detergent solution or, in the case of
thermoplastic supports, snapping the support material off by hand. Objects may
also be sanded, milled, painted or plated to improve their function and appearance.
Widely used materials in this process are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
(ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), polystyrene
(PS), lignin, rubber.
4. SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING & SELECTIVE LASER MELTING
Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS)
are basically the same thing, with SLS used to refer to the process as applied to a
variety of materials like plastics, glass, ceramics; whereas DMLS refers to the
process as applied to metal alloys. The sintering process does not fully melt the
powder, but heat it to the point that the powder can fuse together on a molecular
level. And with sintering, the porosity of the material can be controlled.
Selective Laser Melting (SLM) can do the same as sintering and go one
further, by using the laser to achieve a full melt. Meaning the powder is not merely
fused together, but is actually melted into a homogenous part. So using SLM, we
can fabricate a mono material. Also, there's just one melting point, not the variety
like that can be found in an alloy. So, if we're working with an alloy of some sort,
we'll go with SLS or DMLS; if we're working with say, pure titanium, we'll go
with SLM.
5. BACKGROUND STUDY
5. a. PRINTING MATERIAL
The material we are using to print is acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),
which is a common thermoplastic polymer. Its glass transition temperature is
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approximately 105 C (221 F). ABS is amorphous and therefore has no true
melting point. The most important mechanical properties of ABS are impact
resistance and toughness. A variety of modifications can be made to improve
impact resistance, toughness, and heat resistance. Stability under load is excellent
with limited loads. By changing the proportions of its components, ABS can be
prepared in different grades. Two major categories could be ABS for extrusion and
ABS for injection molding, then high and medium impact resistance. Generally,
ABS would have useful characteristics within a temperature range from 20 to
80 C (4 to 176 F).
5. b. SLICING METHOD
The STL model slicing procedure is to generate a series of closely spaced
2D cross sections of a 3D model. The distance between every two cross sections or
layers is layer thickness, which can be specified. The actual thickness varies, and
depends on the accuracy requirements and the properties of different materials.
Slicing the STL file is an approximate procedure. The main error, which is known
as staircase effect, occurs in this stage and also leads to rough surfaces.

Staircase effect
At the beginning of the slicing process, a model in the STL format file is
properly oriented and positioned. A series of parallel flat planes are introduced
directly to slice the STL file. The distance between every adjacent plane is equal to
the thickness of the filament. The STL file contains no extra information about the
inner details of the model. The parallel planes cut through the triangulated surfaces
of the model get the layer contour information. The outcome of the slicing process
is a series of contour curves, formed by connecting the intersection points. Since
all the curves are made of line sections, the slicing process is to get the intersection
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points. The coordinates of the intersection points are recorded down for the tool
path generation.

Because the intersections are just a couple of lines and the printer cannot
identify which part is the solid, a definition of solid part is introduced. The
clockwise (CW) and counter clockwise (CCW) directions indicate the inner and
outer loops respectively.

The .stl file contains the part comprised of triangular meshes. The slicing
software scans all the triangles and finds their maximum and minimum values i.e.
values of the vertices. When a sectioning plane intersects the triangles, the values
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of the intersecting points are determined with the help of the pre-scanned values. If
the current layers region is out of the boundary of the previous layer, the slicing
software will call the support structure function. The support structure is designed
simultaneously while the parts layers are being scanned.
The two types of slicing are normal slicing and adaptive slicing. In normal
slicing, the layer thickness of the part is equal at all the layers. This is suitable for
parts with no curves. For parts with curves, the layer thickness has to be decreased,
because large layers at the curvy areas cause the staircase effect. If the layer
thickness is less at that area, the staircase effect can be reduced and smooth curves
can be obtained. But in normal slicing, uniform layer thickness is used for the
whole part, even for the non-curvy areas. This results in longer printing time.
In adaptive slicing, the layer thickness is kept normal at non-curvy areas and
decreased along the curves. The geometry of the part is scanned by the slicing
software and the layer thickness is varied with respect to the shape of the part. This
saves printing time and improves print quality.
After slicing the part, tool path is generated. This controls the nozzle
movement. There are different types of algorithms for tool path generation.
Following are the widely used algorithms.
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.

Raster algorithm
Zigzag algorithm
Contour algorithm
Continuous algorithm
Spiral algorithm

5. c. SHELL
The top, the bottom, and the sides of the part are filled with solid layers.
This outside shape is called shell. Shells are the outer layers of a print which make
the walls of an object, prior to the various infill levels being printed within. The
number of shell layers can be varied using the slicing software.

5. d. INFILL
The printed part will have a structure inside instead of being a solid. This is
called infill. The reason why we are using this infill pattern is to reduce the
material usage and the printing time. This infill pattern provides high strength
while reducing the total weight of the part produced.
There are many types of infill. Rectangular, triangular, wiggle and
hexagonal or honeycomb are the widely used structures. Each structure offers
different properties.

1. Rectangular

2. Triangular

3. Wiggle

4. Honeycomb

Rectangular structure is the most common and general purpose infill that
provides good strength and widely used for small structures. It is simple and often
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a default infill structure in a printing software. The triangular structure offers great
strength and high lateral loads. Also, this infill is suitable for longer slender
structures. Wiggle structure is used where the part will undergo twisting or
flexibility is required. It offers the least amount of rigidity. The honeycomb
structure is the best infill for strength vs. material used (only in the case of bigger
products). This shape is the most efficient infill and fastest to print. It will save
material, time, energy and also offer high strength.
We can also change the quantity of infill to be filled. By varying the
percentage of infill in the slicing software, we can vary the density of infill. 0%
infill gives hollow part, and 100% infill gives solid part. Generally, 20-50% of
infill is used.

5. e. RAFT
Rafts are widely used when printing with ABS. Instead of directly printing
the part on the bed, parts are built on top of the raft. This raft helps to remove the
part easily from the bed. Without raft, it would be difficult to remove the part from
the bed; also, the bottom surface of the part may get damaged while removing.
After printing, the raft can be removed from the part, either by removing manually
or dissolving in a solution. So the part has a good surface at the bottom as well as
on the other sides.
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5. f. ORIENTATION OF THE PART

Spending time optimizing the 3d model before printing can greatly improve
overall quality and reduce print time too. The easiest thing that can be done is
to thoughtfully orient the model on the print bed to minimize the amount of
support needed. Since the 3D printer builds each layer on top of the previous one,
support material is 3D printed alongside the model so that the printer has
something to print on when it reaches overhangs or features floating in mid-air.
Support material takes extra time to print as well as needs to be removed after the
print is complete. Ideally no support material is used. One simple way to avoid
support material is to rotate model so that overhangs become bases. Another
important aspect to consider when orienting the part is to start with a flat area that
can adhere to the platform. If the part is oriented with a pocket on its bottom side,
then the support material will be printed on the bottom so it will be difficult to
remove it.

Poor orientation

Good orientation

Also, while printing parts with overhangs, the orientation of the overhangs
should be considered. Because, printing the support material takes time too. By
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choosing the appropriate orientation, the build time for support materials can be
reduced.

The orientation of the part on the print bed causes change in strength of the
part. Different angles give different properties. Determination of the angle of the
orientation depends on the shape of the part.
5. g. RASTER ANGLE
Raster angle refers to the orientation of the layers. Different orientations are
used for different types of loading. The raster angle has a direct bearing on the
resulting structure and plays a significant role in influencing the mechanical
characteristics of parts produced.

5. h. MACHINE SPECIFICATIONS

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The machine we used to print the part is Precision RL 200 3d printer. The
specifications of the printer are given below.
Description
RP Process
Machine Size
Packing Dimension
Model Size
Modeling Precision
Layer Thickness
Modeling Speed
Nozzle Diameter
Velocity
Working Temp
Material
Workstation Compatibility
Interface
Power Consumption
Working Environment Temp
Humidity
File Format
Weight
Accessories

Parameters of 3D Printer
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:
:

FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling)

510mm460mm410mm
585mm525mm480mm
225mm145mm150mm
0.2mm/100mm
0.15mm~0.4mm
10~120mm/s, recommend 80mm/s
0.5mm
24cc/h
Extruder180-260C, Bed: 60-110C
ABS/PLA
Windows 7/Windows XP/Windows Vista/Linux
USB
250W, 100-120/200-240VAC, 50/60Hz
100C-32.50C
20%-80% (RH)
STL
11kg (Net Weight) /13kg (Package Weight)
Tools, Filament, SD card

6. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD
A rectangular bar of dimensions 50x50x20 (mm) is created using
Solidworks a 3d modeling software. The model is converted into a .stl format
file. The file is loaded in the Myriwell software. This software virtually represents
the print bed of the printer. We can determine the bed position of the object to be
printed. After that, by clicking Code Generate menu, the software will slice the
3d model.
For this given model, there were 84 layers. So, each layer will be of
0.238mm thick. After slicing, the software will generate the G-code. This G-code
is created for the printer to control the movement of the nozzle and the bed.
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The G-code file is saved to a memory card and it is loaded into the machine.
Before proceeding to the printing process, the bed has to be leveled first. It can be
done by selecting the bed leveling option from the menu in the printer display. The
nozzle moves to every corner to check whether the bed is leveled or not. After
leveling, we have to select the model we created from the memory card. After
confirmation, the nozzle and the bed are heated to a certain temperature to process
the material. In this case, the temperature of the nozzle is maintained around 220C
and the temperature of the bed is maintained around 60C. The chamber is
maintained around 30C. After acquiring the required temperature, the printer
starts to print. The feed rate of the nozzle is 40mm/s and the flow rate of the
material is also 40mm/s. The travel rate of the nozzle is 55mm/s. First, the printer
prints a raft before it starts printing the actual part. Then it prints the final part.
7. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The number of raft layers we printed is one. It was removed after the
printing has been completed. The number of shells printed was three. The printed
part was cut into half to see the structure. The part was printed with rectangular
infill. The layer width measured 0.541mm. This is also called as raster width.

Rectangular infill with layer thickness of .541mm

The thickness of the wall and the height of the layer were measured using
Dino capture software. The layer height varied between 0.237 to .234mm, due to
the shrinking of the layers. So, the average layer height was 0.235mm. This
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denotes that the layers have shrunk around 1%. Because the calculated layer
thickness was 0.238mm. The values of the layer height were plotted in a graph to
find the variation.

Layer height
0.2375
0.237
0.2365
0.236
Y-Values

0.2355
0.235
0.2345
0.234
0

Layer height at different points of the part

So, by this experimentation, we have come to know about the advantages
and disadvantages of the FDM process.
ADVANTAGES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Wide range of plastics can be used. Suitable for prototyping.

Environment friendly process.
Economical to use.
No post curing required.
Parts made are durable.

DISADVANTAGES
1. Small features and thin walls cannot be made accurately.
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2.
3.
4.
5.

Layers are visible and surface finish is not good.

The process is very slow.
The built part is weak in Z axis direction.
Support structures are required for some shapes and support structure
removal is a difficult process.

8. CONCLUSION
Basic principles and methodology of Fused Deposition Modeling
(FDM) have been learned.
The terms involved in designing and printing process have been
studied.
A rectangular bar has been designed using a 3d modeling software
and sliced using slicing software.
The designed bar has been printed with ABS material using a FDM
printer.
The printed part was cut and its structure has been studied and the
wall thickness and the layer height have been measured using a
microscope.
The practical advantages and disadvantages of the FDM process have
been studied.

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