Application of Optical Measurements to Assess Form Deviations of Cylindrical Parts Made Using FDM Additive Technology

Area of Science:

• Additive Manufacturing
• Metrology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is a cost-effective additive manufacturing technique for functional thermoplastic parts.
• Cylindrical components demand high dimensional and form accuracy for reliable performance.
• Assessing cylindricity deviation is crucial for identifying defects in 3D-printed cylindrical parts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate optical scanning for measuring cylindricity and roundness deviations in FDM-printed ABS components.
• To investigate the effect of printing orientation on the dimensional accuracy of cylindrical parts.
• To compare the accuracy of optical scanning with tactile coordinate measurement methods.

Main Methods:

• ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) samples were manufactured using FDM with varying print orientations (0°, 45°, 90°).
• Cylindricity and roundness deviations were measured using a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) and an optical scanner.
• Experimental models comprised three series of ten samples each, maintaining identical process parameters except orientation.

Main Results:

• Print orientation significantly influences cylindricity deviation in FDM-produced cylindrical components.
• Specific printing orientations yielded lower cylindricity deviations, providing manufacturing guidelines.
• Optical scanners demonstrated lower precision for form deviation analysis compared to tactile CMM methods.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing print orientation is key to achieving acceptable cylindricity quality in FDM parts.
• Tactile coordinate measurement methods offer superior accuracy for precise form deviation analysis of FDM components over optical scanning.
• The study provides essential insights for quality control in additive manufacturing of cylindrical parts.