Fused Deposition Modelling Technology
Invented over two decades ago, fused deposition modelling is the most common additive manufacturing method. Also known as fused filament fabrication, the method was invented in the 1980s by S. Scott Crump. It was then used as a rapid prototyping method until 1990 when Stratasy, a leading manufacturer of 3D printers commercialized its production. A lot of variants have been developed since then.
Fused deposition modelling is the most cost effective method of creating quick prototypes as well as customizing consumer products. The method uses layer-by-layer development of the product from a thermoplastic filament. Some of the thermoplastics used in this type of modelling are the same as used in usual manufacturing, and hence products manufactured by this method are equally durable. With most 3D printers, there is another kind of material apart from the thermoplastic which supports the object being printed as a scaffolding.
To create an object with a fused deposition modelling printer, the model design has to be first created. This model can be created using modeling CAD software such as AutoCAD. This software has the ability to generate the 3D model automatically. The model is modified until it fits what the user wants and then saved. The model file needs to be converted to a format that can be handled by a 3D printer. This is usually in a .STL format.
The .STL file generated is then processed in a specialized software. During this processing, the model is sliced mathematically and the final model oriented for the build process. Different materials are dispensed by the printer, depending on the model and other needs such as support. If for instance the product is to be made of different colors, then different colors of the thermoplastic is dispensed by the machine. Also, if scaffolding support is needed for the finished product, the machine dispenses materials to create that as well.
The setup of the printing process for fused deposition modelling is made up of coils of plastic threads which are fed into the printer through a nozzle. The plastic filaments pushed into the nozzle are controlled by a worm drive. The thermoplastic beads extruding from the nozzle are deposited in layers to form the object. As the plastic material extrudes from the nozzle, it hardens and new layers are deposited on top until the process is completed.
The nozzle is heated and melts the thermoplastic materials as it passes through it. The melted material is then deposited to the final platform or table by the extrusion head. The nozzle is able to move in both horizontal and vertical directions. These movements usually follow the mathematical translation of the model by the CAM software.
The melted materials are deposited on the platform starting from the bottom of the object upwards, layer by layer. When one layer of the object is completed, the build platform is lowered by a fraction of an inch to allow room for depositing the next layer. The initial new layer deposited quickly binds to the previous layer before drying up. The movement of the extrusion head is controlled by servo motors or stepper motors.
When the printing process is done, the support materials used in the fused deposition modelling are removed from the finished product. This is usually achieved by immersing the model in water or a detergent solution. If thermoplastic materials are used as support material, they can be removed by snapping with the hand. The finished product can be polished or painted to improve its look and feel.
Fused deposition modelling is considered a slow 3D printing process. The time it takes to print an object however depends on the size and complexity of the object. Thin objects take less time to print than bigger ones. Short objects also take shorter time to print than taller ones. Very huge objects would take hours to complete printing.
The reason most fused deposition modelling is very common is because of the flexibility it offers. The support provided by lower layers of deposited material can support protrusions from the upper layers. These protrusions however become difficult to handle by the printer when they are unsupported from the bottom. This is because of limitations of fused deposition modelling on sloped unsupported protrusions. Also, the layering of the printing process gives the object a grain-like structure as in wood. This means the objects are stronger in one direction than the other. To achieve a strong object in all directions, an interlocking infill pattern can be used.
A wide range of thermoplastic materials are available for use in fused deposition modelling. The material chosen would depend on temperature resistance requirements of the finished product. Also, the strength and durability desired in the finished product also dictates the material to be used. Available are polycarbonate, polystyrene, lignin, polyamides and PLA among others. Metals with low melting points can also be used in this modelling process. Polyphenylsulfone, which is a brittle thermoplastic is usually used for creating support materials with the modelling method. Other water soluble waxes are also used as support material.
Thermoplastics are very strong plastics and are suitable for making prototypes for testing. This is because most prototypes must withstand rough handling resulting from vigorous testing. Fused deposition modelling can create an object to the very minute details making it the ideal process used by engineers to create their models. These models are highly detailed and so can be tested for fit and form. Car manufacturing companies also use fused deposition modelling to create prototypes of cars and their parts before they are produced on a commercial scale.
Consumer goods manufacturing companies also use the process to produce finished goods. Most children toys and models that come in plastic are produced using the fused deposition modelling. The food packaging industry also employs fused deposition modelling.
The medical industry has benefitted a lot from fused deposition modelling. This has earned the process a position as the most common 3D printing method used in the medical field. Fused deposition modelling is used in packaging drugs and other pharmaceutical supplies.
The patent filed by the inventors of the fused deposition modelling expired some years ago. This gave way for the development of many variants of the process. Some open-source communities also waved in, developing their own variants. Some commercial entities also came up with their own variants of the process. This led to the reduction of the cost of 3D printing using fused deposition modelling and hence making it the cheapest mode of 3D printing.
Fused deposition modelling is the most cost effective method of creating quick prototypes as well as customizing consumer products. The method uses layer-by-layer development of the product from a thermoplastic filament. Some of the thermoplastics used in this type of modelling are the same as used in usual manufacturing, and hence products manufactured by this method are equally durable. With most 3D printers, there is another kind of material apart from the thermoplastic which supports the object being printed as a scaffolding.
To create an object with a fused deposition modelling printer, the model design has to be first created. This model can be created using modeling CAD software such as AutoCAD. This software has the ability to generate the 3D model automatically. The model is modified until it fits what the user wants and then saved. The model file needs to be converted to a format that can be handled by a 3D printer. This is usually in a .STL format.
The .STL file generated is then processed in a specialized software. During this processing, the model is sliced mathematically and the final model oriented for the build process. Different materials are dispensed by the printer, depending on the model and other needs such as support. If for instance the product is to be made of different colors, then different colors of the thermoplastic is dispensed by the machine. Also, if scaffolding support is needed for the finished product, the machine dispenses materials to create that as well.
The setup of the printing process for fused deposition modelling is made up of coils of plastic threads which are fed into the printer through a nozzle. The plastic filaments pushed into the nozzle are controlled by a worm drive. The thermoplastic beads extruding from the nozzle are deposited in layers to form the object. As the plastic material extrudes from the nozzle, it hardens and new layers are deposited on top until the process is completed.
The nozzle is heated and melts the thermoplastic materials as it passes through it. The melted material is then deposited to the final platform or table by the extrusion head. The nozzle is able to move in both horizontal and vertical directions. These movements usually follow the mathematical translation of the model by the CAM software.
The melted materials are deposited on the platform starting from the bottom of the object upwards, layer by layer. When one layer of the object is completed, the build platform is lowered by a fraction of an inch to allow room for depositing the next layer. The initial new layer deposited quickly binds to the previous layer before drying up. The movement of the extrusion head is controlled by servo motors or stepper motors.
When the printing process is done, the support materials used in the fused deposition modelling are removed from the finished product. This is usually achieved by immersing the model in water or a detergent solution. If thermoplastic materials are used as support material, they can be removed by snapping with the hand. The finished product can be polished or painted to improve its look and feel.
Fused deposition modelling is considered a slow 3D printing process. The time it takes to print an object however depends on the size and complexity of the object. Thin objects take less time to print than bigger ones. Short objects also take shorter time to print than taller ones. Very huge objects would take hours to complete printing.
The reason most fused deposition modelling is very common is because of the flexibility it offers. The support provided by lower layers of deposited material can support protrusions from the upper layers. These protrusions however become difficult to handle by the printer when they are unsupported from the bottom. This is because of limitations of fused deposition modelling on sloped unsupported protrusions. Also, the layering of the printing process gives the object a grain-like structure as in wood. This means the objects are stronger in one direction than the other. To achieve a strong object in all directions, an interlocking infill pattern can be used.
A wide range of thermoplastic materials are available for use in fused deposition modelling. The material chosen would depend on temperature resistance requirements of the finished product. Also, the strength and durability desired in the finished product also dictates the material to be used. Available are polycarbonate, polystyrene, lignin, polyamides and PLA among others. Metals with low melting points can also be used in this modelling process. Polyphenylsulfone, which is a brittle thermoplastic is usually used for creating support materials with the modelling method. Other water soluble waxes are also used as support material.
Thermoplastics are very strong plastics and are suitable for making prototypes for testing. This is because most prototypes must withstand rough handling resulting from vigorous testing. Fused deposition modelling can create an object to the very minute details making it the ideal process used by engineers to create their models. These models are highly detailed and so can be tested for fit and form. Car manufacturing companies also use fused deposition modelling to create prototypes of cars and their parts before they are produced on a commercial scale.
Consumer goods manufacturing companies also use the process to produce finished goods. Most children toys and models that come in plastic are produced using the fused deposition modelling. The food packaging industry also employs fused deposition modelling.
The medical industry has benefitted a lot from fused deposition modelling. This has earned the process a position as the most common 3D printing method used in the medical field. Fused deposition modelling is used in packaging drugs and other pharmaceutical supplies.
The patent filed by the inventors of the fused deposition modelling expired some years ago. This gave way for the development of many variants of the process. Some open-source communities also waved in, developing their own variants. Some commercial entities also came up with their own variants of the process. This led to the reduction of the cost of 3D printing using fused deposition modelling and hence making it the cheapest mode of 3D printing.
