Possibilities of Using 3D Printing with Polymers as Structural Components

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is an additive manufacturing technology with potential for producing structural components.
• Material selection is critical for ensuring the mechanical integrity of 3D printed parts.
• Reverse engineering enables the replication and optimization of existing mechanical components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using polymer-based FFF 3D printing for manufacturing structural components.
• To analyze and compare the suitability of common FFF filaments (PLA, ABS, PA6, PA12) for structural applications.
• To optimize a gear wheel component for 3D printing while maintaining material expenditure.

Main Methods:

• Reverse engineering of a lawn mower gear wheel to create 3D CAD models.
• Geometric model optimization for volume and material efficiency.
• Finite element analysis (FEA) to evaluate total deformation and reduced stresses for selected filaments.
• Material testing and comparison of PLA, ABS, PA6, and PA12 filaments under simulated service conditions.

Main Results:

• Two of the four analyzed filaments (PLA, ABS, PA6, PA12) exhibited significant deterioration in strength properties and were unsuitable for the application.
• The remaining filaments were approved for the manufacturing process after numerical analysis.
• The optimized geometric model was validated through prototype printing.

Conclusions:

• FFF 3D printing is a viable technology for producing structural components when appropriate materials are selected.
• Material characterization and numerical analysis are essential steps in qualifying filaments for demanding applications.
• The study successfully identified suitable materials and demonstrated the potential of FFF for manufacturing functional mechanical parts.