One of the most fascinating aspects of 3D printing is figuring out how big it can be printed, hence the term LFAM (Large Format Additive Manufacturing) was born. However, it has some difficulties that do not exist in “conventional” 3D printing of small parts. Even so, currently, this branch of 3D printing has been experiencing high growth rates. Together with Solidtech (a company specializing in additive manufacturing), it was possible to systematically study some inherent difficulties of LFAM, using a robotic arm coupled with an extruder head for pellets (FGF, Fused Granular Fabrication Technology). Material shrinkage, construction paths, raster angles, path radius, surface finish, and adhesion to the construction platform, among others, were studied to be able to print parts with adequate properties. Thus, the objective of this work was to establish a set of parameters for LFAM, especially in terms of the design and final quality of the printed parts. The results obtained allowed to conclude that when printing a part, the material should be chosen based on the part requirements (resistance, lightness, finishing, cost, or others). The data obtained allowed the creation of fundamental strategies (especially for the design) that relate the line thickness as a function of the extrusion and robot speeds, as well as identifying the different types of defects that can be obtained in the parts, their respective cause and solution. Lastly, this work also allowed to identify the best materials (and their limitations) to successfully print some case studies, mainly 3D-printed furniture.

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A Systematic Study of Large Format Additive Manufacturing

  • H. Brito,
  • Jorge Lino Alves

摘要

One of the most fascinating aspects of 3D printing is figuring out how big it can be printed, hence the term LFAM (Large Format Additive Manufacturing) was born. However, it has some difficulties that do not exist in “conventional” 3D printing of small parts. Even so, currently, this branch of 3D printing has been experiencing high growth rates. Together with Solidtech (a company specializing in additive manufacturing), it was possible to systematically study some inherent difficulties of LFAM, using a robotic arm coupled with an extruder head for pellets (FGF, Fused Granular Fabrication Technology). Material shrinkage, construction paths, raster angles, path radius, surface finish, and adhesion to the construction platform, among others, were studied to be able to print parts with adequate properties. Thus, the objective of this work was to establish a set of parameters for LFAM, especially in terms of the design and final quality of the printed parts. The results obtained allowed to conclude that when printing a part, the material should be chosen based on the part requirements (resistance, lightness, finishing, cost, or others). The data obtained allowed the creation of fundamental strategies (especially for the design) that relate the line thickness as a function of the extrusion and robot speeds, as well as identifying the different types of defects that can be obtained in the parts, their respective cause and solution. Lastly, this work also allowed to identify the best materials (and their limitations) to successfully print some case studies, mainly 3D-printed furniture.