Grubbs Jack, Sousa Bryer C, Cote Danielle L
Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA.
Polymers (Basel). 2023 Apr 19;15(8):1945. doi: 10.3390/polym15081945.
Developments in polymer 3D printing (3DP) technologies have expanded their scope beyond the rapid prototyping space into other high-value markets, including the consumer sector. Processes such as fused filament fabrication (FFF) are capable of quickly producing complex, low-cost components using a wide variety of material types, such as polylactic acid (PLA). However, FFF has seen limited scalability in functional part production partly due to the difficulty of process optimization with its complex parameter space, including material type, filament characteristics, printer conditions, and "slicer" software settings. Therefore, the aim of this study is to establish a multi-step process optimization methodology-from printer calibration to "slicer" setting adjustments to post-processing-to make FFF more accessible across material types, using PLA as a case study. The results showed filament-specific deviations in optimal print conditions, where part dimensions and tensile properties varied depending on the combination of nozzle temperature, print bed conditions, infill settings, and annealing condition. By implementing the filament-specific optimization framework established in this study beyond the scope of PLA, more efficient processing of new materials will be possible for enhanced applicability of FFF in the 3DP field.
聚合物3D打印（3DP）技术的发展已将其应用范围从快速成型领域扩展到其他高价值市场，包括消费领域。诸如熔融长丝制造（FFF）之类的工艺能够使用多种材料类型（如聚乳酸（PLA））快速生产复杂、低成本的部件。然而，FFF在功能部件生产中的可扩展性有限，部分原因在于其复杂的参数空间（包括材料类型、长丝特性、打印机条件和“切片”软件设置）难以进行工艺优化。因此，本研究的目的是建立一种多步骤工艺优化方法——从打印机校准到“切片”设置调整再到后处理——以使用PLA作为案例研究，使FFF在各种材料类型中更易于使用。结果表明，在最佳打印条件下存在长丝特定偏差，其中部件尺寸和拉伸性能会根据喷嘴温度、打印床条件、填充设置和退火条件的组合而变化。通过在PLA范围之外实施本研究中建立的长丝特定优化框架，将有可能对新材料进行更高效的加工，以增强FFF在3DP领域的适用性。
