Improving Tensile Mechanical Properties of FDM-Manufactured Specimens via Modifying Build Parameters

Abstract

In this paper, the focus was on improving tensile mechanical properties of FDMmanufactured parts by adjusting FDM processing parameters and analyzing stress concentration features between adjacent roads of material. FDM processing parameters are specified by the user via Insight – the file preparation software for most FDM machines. Even though Insight gives the impression that adjacent roads are to be deposited and connected throughout, an optical imaging observation of the deposited material revealed that adjacent roads are not consistently connected forming voids that reduce mechanical performance. Therefore, this work reports the tensile mechanical properties of specimens built using three sets of parameters: standard/default parameters, an Insight revision method, and a visual feedback method. When compared to the default build parameters, the experimentally determined, visual feedback approach produced specimens, in some cases, exhibiting as high as 19% improvement in ultimate tensile strength.