Improved Mechanical Properties of Fused Deposition Modeling-Manufactured Parts Through Build Parameter Modifications

Abstract

Today, the use of material extrusion processes, like fused deposition modeling (FDM), in aerospace, biomedical science, and other industries, is gaining popularity because of the access to production-grade thermoplastic polymer materials. This paper focuses on how modifying process parameters such as build orientation, raster angle (RA), contour width (CW), raster width (RW), and raster-to-raster air gap (RRAG) can improve ultimate tensile strength (UTS), Young's modulus, and tensile strain. This was assessed using three methods: default, Insight revision, and visual feedback. On average, parameter modification through the visual feedback method improved UTS in all orientations, 16% in XYZ, 7% in XZY, and 22% in ZXY.