Material Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing: Experimental Determination of Process Parameters with Influence on Printing Time, Material Consumption, Surface Roughness and Torsional Strength

When facedSurface roughness with a new manufacturing processTorsional strength, one must always try to detect which are the fundamental parameters that govern the process. There are experimental methods, based on designDesign of experiments, which allow to study of several parameters simultaneously and to detect which one is the most influential in an output variable, such as surface finish or mechanical strength. This methodology is very useful for graduates who end up working in a factory. In the practical sessions described here, students are introduced to material extrusionMaterial extrusion-based additive manufacturingAdditive manufacturing technology (MEX-AM), also known as fused filament fabrication (FFF). The professor presents the different parameters involved in the process (layer height, wall line count, infill pattern, infill density, flow, etc.) but does not explain the relationship between these factors and the properties of the printed part. It will be the student who, with the help of industrial statistics, will have to go down to the gemba and determine which factor has the greatest influence on printing time, surface roughnessSurface roughness, or torsional strengthTorsional strength. The student will also learn, thanks to this discovery learning methodology, that the role of the engineer is to manufacture products that meet the customer's requirements at an acceptable cost.