Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Publication
    Chemical coating techniques to enhance the surface quality of 3D printing (FDM) part: A short review
    The staircase effect describes the overall print surface roughness indicated through the layer by layer of Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM), also known as the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process. Due to the poor surface finish, post-processing can improve the aesthetic effect. The different post-processing procedures for FDM parts are classified as material removal and material addition. This paper reviews four types of material addition methods based on chemical coating post-processing techniques; gap filling, coating spray, plating, and water transfer printing of based on production time, cost and related environmental issues. From the review, spray coating generally is cost-effective and less hazardous to the environment. The paper presents a benchmark between the available material addition techniques as a post-processing step for the FDM printed parts.
      37  1
  • Publication
    Effect of Build Parameters on Process Energy Consumption and Material Usage in Fused Deposition Modelling Method
    (Institute of Physics, 2022-01-01)
    Omar N.W.Y.
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    Fused deposition modelling (FDM) process is one of popular 3D printing technologies, especially on printing polymer materials for a rapid prototyping. The process is well known for its resource saving, with no tooling cost required and minimum energy demand. However, the challenge is that the process performances are highly influenced by selection of parameters. From literature, consideration on material usage and process energy demand in FDM processes is still limited. This study used an L9 Taguchi orthogonal array design in investigating effect of build orientation, printing speed and layer thickness on process energy consumption and total material usage in FDM processes. The p-values from ANOVA analysis revealed that only layer thickness and build orientation had significant effect on the outputs. In minimising material usage, the strategy is to select the correct build orientation to avoid need of support structure. For reducing energy demand, optimum layer thickness needs to be determined by considering other factors such as mechanical properties and surface roughness. This study provides preliminary findings which will benefit FDM users in using resources efficiently. Further studies are required to complement the findings from the aspects of mechanical and physical properties of the printed products.
      2  3
  • Publication
    SANDBLASTING POST-PROCESSING ANALYSIS TO IMPROVE OF FUSED FILAMENT FABRICATIONS PARTS
    Sandblasting is a post-processing process that is required to improve the surface due to the layered nature of fused filament fabrication parts. This paper presents preliminary work based on full factorial design of experiment, considering pressure (100 kPa and 700 kPa), time (10 s and 120 s), distance (10 mm and 370 mm) and aluminium oxide abrasive which is 106 µm and 29.5 µm of particles size as the input factors. The effect of the parameters on the surface roughness (Sa) for flat and curve surface, material usage and energy consumption allow were analysed. The result shows that both Sa for flat and Sa curve surface were highly influenced by the abrasive particles size and time with the highest changes of Sa for flat and curve reaches up to 2.825 µm and 6.090 µm respectively. This study provides information on how sandblasting parameters should be selected in improving surface quality and resource usage.
      32  13
  • Publication
    Mechanical and physical properties of recycled-carbon-fiber-reinforced polylactide fused deposition modelling filament
    Carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic materials have attracted several applications, including the fused deposition modelling (FDM) process. As a cheaper and more environmentally friendly alternative to its virgin counterpart, the use of milled recycled carbon fiber (rCF) has received much attention. The quality of the feed filament is important to avoid filament breakage and clogged nozzles during the FDM printing process. However, information about the effect of material parameters on the mechanical and physical properties of short rCF-reinforced FDM filament is still limited. This paper presents the effect of fiber loading (10 wt%, 20 wt%, and 30 wt%) and fiber size (63 µm, 75 µm, and 150 µm) on the filament’s tensile properties, surface roughness, microstructure, porosity level, density, and water absorptivity. The results show that the addition of 63 µm fibers at 10 wt% loading can enhance filament tensile properties with minimal surface roughness and porosity level. The addition of rCF increased the density and reduced the material’s water intake. This study also indicates a clear trade-off between the optimized properties. Hence, it is recommended that the optimization of rCF should consider the final application of the product. The findings of this study provide a new manufacturing strategy in utilizing milled rCF in potential 3D printing-based applications.
      2  4
  • Publication
    Feasibility study of FDM 3D printing fabrication process for customized automotive front grille
    In recent years, many automakers starting to adopt 3D printing technologies in producing functional end parts. In line with the industrial revolution (IR4.0), this technology plays a significant role in improving the component's cost efficiency, especially in the low volume market. Nevertheless, these technologies facing several challenges such as surface quality and dimensional accuracy that hinder their progress. A feasibility study was conducted to investigate the influence of process parameters on the surface finish and dimensional accuracy when producing automotive component. The automotive front grille component has been chosen as a case study, and Full factorial design (FFF) optimisation approach was employed to the part fabricated by FDM 3D Printing technology to improve the surface finish dimensional accuracy of the parts. Based on the results, layer height and infill percentage are the most significant factors in the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the 3D printed part. Findings from this research show that process parameters optimisation improves dimensional accuracy, but post-processing is still required to enhance the part's surface finish.
      2  38