Analyzing Surface Roughness Variations in Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing of Nylon Carbon Fiber Composites

Area of Science:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Materials Science
• Surface Engineering

Background:

• Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a cost-effective additive manufacturing technique for net-shape components.
• Limited understanding of FDM process parameter effects on surface roughness (Ra, Rq, Rz) across different part surfaces hinders functional part production.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and optimize surface roughness parameters for nylon carbon fiber FDM parts.
• To identify critical FDM process parameters influencing surface quality on bottom, top, and wall surfaces.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a Definitive Screening Design (DSD) for experimental planning.
• Analyzed surface morphology using optical microscopy.
• Applied multi-response optimization integrating composite desirability function and entropy.

Main Results:

• Layer height, part orientation, and infill density were identified as significant factors affecting all surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rq, Rz) on all surfaces.
• Surface morphology analysis provided insights into roughness characteristics.

Conclusions:

• Optimized FDM process parameters enhance surface quality of nylon carbon fiber parts.
• Findings have significant industrial applications for producing high-quality, functional, and visually appealing 3D printed components.