Investigation Of Characteristics And Applications Of 3-D Printer Materials.

i INVESTIGATION OF CHARACTERISTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF 3-D

PRINTER MATERIALS

MUHAMMAD SYAZWI BIN MOHD FAUDZE

UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA

M U H A M M A D S Y A ZW I BIN M O H D F A U D ZE B A CH . O F M EC H A N IC A L E N G . ( D ES IG N & IN N O V A TIO N

) 20

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INVESTIGATION OF CHARACTERISTICS AND APPLICATIONS OF 3-D PRINTER MATERIALS

MUHAMMAD SYAZWI BIN MOHD FAUDZE

This project report is submitted in partial

fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelor (Hons.) Mechanical Engineering (Design and Innovation)

Faculty of Mechanical Engineering Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka

SUPERVISOR DECLARATION

“I hereby declare that I have read this thesis and in my opinion this thesis is sufficient term of scope and quality for the award of the degree of Bachelor of

Mechanical Engineering (Design and Innovation)”

Signature: ……….. Supervisor: Dr. Faiz Redza Bin Ramli

DECLARATION

“I hereby declare that the work in this thesis is my own except for summaries and quotations which have been duly acknowledged.”

Signature: ……….. Author: Muhammad Syazwi Bin Mohd Faudze

Specially dedicated to my beloved mother, Mrs. Norhayati Bte Abd. Rahman and my supportive father, Mr. Mohd Faudze Bin Sabtu

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him and seek His aid and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil which is within ourselves and from the evil in our actions. Whoever Allah guides, none can send astray; whoever Allah sends astray, none can guide. We bear witness that there is no deity other than Allah alone, and with no partner. And we bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and His Messenger.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Faiz Redza bin Ramli, for accepting me to do this project. Thanks for the guidance and support that he gives during carrying out this project. Not to forget to Dr. Rizal Al- Kahari my Co-supervisor for assisting me a lot during carrying this project.

I will never forget the financial, moral and spiritual support of my parent too. Asking Allah to have mercy on them how they catered for me when I were toddlers. Lastly, there might be people who have aided this project without our knowledge but Allah knows you. To you all, nothing can be greater than Jazakumullahu Khayran. May Allah bless you all

ABSTRACT

For the past decade, the rapid prototype market possesses a lot of changes and growth. Low end machines were responsible for the majority of the rapid prototype market growth in recent years. The purpose of the project explained in this report should be to assess, match up and evaluate a few thing about the mechanical properties for the low cost machines which are MendelMax and Kossel on the market today. A benchmarking research was performed to determine the performance for each platform by evaluating its capability to produce a complicated benchmark portion which is designed specifically for this study such as up-stand features and slots. The design was created by CATIA software which will be converted into STL file format. The results show clearly that the performance of the 3-D printer is depending on a certain criteria which are layer thickness and infill density in order to get a better profile.

ABSTRAK

Selari dengan perubahan zaman, pasaran prototaip mempunyai banyak perubahan dan pertumbuhan. Mesin berkos rendah ini bertanggungjawab sebagai pembangunan prototaip yang bertumbuh pesat pada zaman serba moden ini. Projek ini yang diterangkan di dalam laporan ini bertujuan mengakses, membanding antara satu sama lain dan menganalisa beberapa perkara berdasarkan sifat bahan mekanikal mesin berkos rendah ini seperti mesin MendelMax dan Kossel yang berada di pasaran dunia sekarang. Kajian berdasarkan penanda aras geometri telah dilakukan untuk mengenal pasti kebolehan untuk setiap geometri dengan menganalisa kebolehannya untuk menghasilkan bahagian penanda aras yg rumit yang mana rekabentuk khusus untuk kertas kerja ini seperti profil-profil yang teguh dan profil slot. Rekabentuk prototaip ini dihasilkan melalui perisian CATIA yang seterusnya akan dijadikan format STL. Keputusan menunjukkan secara jelas bahawa jurang kebolehan mesin prototaip ini ditentukan dengan beberapa faktor seperti ketebalan lapisan dan kepadatan kawasan jurang untuk menghasilkan bentuk profil yang baik.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i

ABSTRACT ii

ABSTRAK iii

LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF TABLES x

LIST OF ABBREVIATION xi

1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background Study 1

1.2 Problem Statement 2

1.3 Objectives 3

2.1 Rapid Prototyping 4 2.2 Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 5 2.3 Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) Material 6

2.4 Slicing Method 7

2.5 Review of Previous Benchmark Geometries 8

2.6 Low Cost 3-D Printer 13

2.7 Surface Roughness Measurement 13 2.8 Effects of Warpage on the Surface Accuracy 15

3 METHODOLOGY 17

3.1 Equipment and Apparatus 17

3.2 Project Flow 18

3.3 Preliminary Fabrication and Parameters

Involved in Printing Configuration 20 3.4 Design of the Benchmark Part 21

3.5 Setup Configuration 22

3.6 Fabrication of Benchmark Parts 23 3.7 Measurement and Surface Roughness on

Produced Part 25

4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 26

4.2 Dimension Accuracy of Various Features 27 4.2.1 Study of Width and Height 30 4.2.2 Study of Uniformity for Cylinder 43 4.2.3 Study of Symmetry of Features 47 4.2.4 Study on Surface Roughness 51

5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 55

5.1 Conclusion 55

5.2 Recommendation 56

REFERENCES 57

APPENDICES 60

APPENDIX A 61

APPENDIX B 63

APPENDIX C 64

APPENDIX D 65

APPENDIX E 66

APPENDIX F 68

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE TITLE PAGE

Fig. 2.1 The Compound Structure 6

Fig. 1.2 Benchmark part 9

Fig. 2.3 Waviness affect 14

Fig. 2.4 Surface characteristics 14

Fig. 2.5 Surface roughness graph 15

Fig. 2.6(a) Part warpage drifting towards the edges 15 Fig. 2.6(b) Part warpage drifting towards a side 15 Fig. 3.1 Flow chart for the whole PSM 19

Fig. 3.2 Preliminary test part 20

Fig. 3.3 Design of the test part 22

Fig. 3.4(a) Warpage at the edge 24

Fig. 3.4(b) ABS solvent used 24

Fig. 4.1 Warpage presented 27

Fig. 4.2(b) UHU glue stick on Kapton tape 27 Fig. 4.3 Gap between extruder and heat bed 28 Fig. 4.4 The machine is not printing uniformly as it moves in

incline manner 28

Fig. 4.5(a) The nozzle is detached from the printer unit 29 Fig. 4.5(b) The remaining filament stuck in the nozzle 29

Fig. 4.7(a) Slots 31

Fig. 4.7(b) Cylinders 31

Fig. 4.8 Bar Graph of Width of Slab (SL) for Mendel (ABS) 33 Fig. 4.9 Bar Graph of Height of Cylinder (CL) for Mendel (ABS) 33 Fig. 4.10 Bar Graph of Width of Slab (SL) for Mendel (PLA) 36 Fig. 4.11 Bar Graph of Height of Cylinder (CL) for Mendel (PLA) 36 Fig. 4.12 Lower infill density and larger contour width 37 Fig. 4.13 Bar Graph of Width of Slab (SL) for Kossel (ABS) 39 Fig. 4.14 Bar Graph of Height of Cylinder (CL) for Kossel (ABS) 39 Fig. 4.15 Bar Graph of Width of Slab (SL) for Kossel (PLA) 42 Fig. 4.16 Bar Graph of Height of Cylinder (CL) for Kossel (PLA) 42 Fig. 4.17 Three regions of determining the cylindricity of a cylinder 43 Fig. 4.18 Bar Graph of Uniformity of Feature for Mendel (ABS) 44 Fig. 4.19 Bar Graph of Uniformity of Feature for Mendel (PLA) 45 Fig. 4.20 Bar Graph of Uniformity of Feature for Kossel (ABS) 46 Fig. 4.21 Bar Graph of Uniformity of Feature for Kossel (PLA) 47 Fig. 4.22 Two portions area of symmetry test 48

Fig. 4.24 Bar Graph of Symmetry of Features for Mendel (PLA) 49 Fig. 4.25 Bar Graph of Symmetry of Features for Kossel (ABS) 50 Fig. 4.26 Bar Graph of Symmetry of Features for Kossel (PLA) 50 Fig. 4.27 Bar Graph of Roughness Test for Mendel (ABS) 51 Fig. 4.28 Bar Graph of Roughness Test for Mendel (PLA) 52 Fig. 4.29 Bar Graph of Roughness Test for Kossel (ABS) 53 Fig. 4.30 Bar Graph of Roughness Test for Kossel (PLA) 54 Fig. 4.31(a) Surface profile of vertical surface 54

LIST OF TABLE

TABLE TITLE PAGE

Table 2.1 Summing up of documented benchmark parts 8 Table 2.2 A summary of proposed geometric features and purpose 12 Table 3.1 Parameters that will be used 21 Table 3.2 Various geometrical features 22 Table 4.1 Deviations of different features in different test sets 32 Table 4.2 Deviations of different features in different test sets 35 Table 4.3 Deviations of different features in different test sets 38 Table 4.4 Deviations of different features in different test sets 41 Table 4.5 Roundness for every test parts 44 Table 4.6 Roundness for all test parts 46

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

PSM Projek Sarjana Muda FYP Final Year Project RP Rapid Prototyping

CAD Computer Aided Drawing FDM Fused Deposition Modelling SL Stereolithography

SLS Selective Laser Sintering 3DP Three Dimensional Printing ABS Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene PLA Polylactic Acid

CMM Coordinate Measuring Machine STL Standard Triangular Language CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Projek Sarjana Muda (PSM) or Final Year Project (FYP) is a compulsory subject

that must be taken by a soon-to-be graduated student of Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka during the final year as one of the requirement to be awarded of Bachelor degree. All students should have a project that need to be carried out during the two semesters of studies under the supervision of a selected lecturer. At the end of the semester, students are required to demonstrate their finding according to the project. This chapter will provide the project background which entitled of Investigation of Characteristics and Applications of 3-D Printer Materials.

1.1 BACKGROUND STUDY

Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a somewhat most recent manufacturing engineering in which the prototypes are straight made from CAD drawings. RP benchmarking is essential

benchmarking, the ability of a certain approach could be checked, measured, analysed, as well as confirmed through a standardized procedure. A handful of benchmark research appear to have been successfully done to figure out the quality of dimensional accuracy and surface quality achievable with existing RP processes. Hence, a variety of test parts have already been built for the benchmark research.

1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT

FDM process is still in early phase of commercialization and thus, it have the potential for further research and studies. Apparently, there is no further studies on investigation of mechanical properties for low cost 3D Printer in intention to differentiate the quality of finishing product of various geometric features based on standard benchmarking models produced. Therefore, it is vital to revamp a further studies on a benchmark geometry in order to enhance the technical proficiency such as the accuracy and repeatability of FDM operation and the comparison of the geometries.

1.3 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the project are:

1. To investigate the vital parameters required for 3D printer by the quality of finishing product for low cost 3-D printers.

2. To differentiate the quality of finishing product of various geometric features based on standard benchmarking models produced from low cost 3-D printers. 3. To investigate the condition of produced part in terms of geometric dimensional

accuracy, capacity to fabricate specific geometry, repeatability, and surface roughness.

1.4 SCOPES

1. Design a standard test part based on standard benchmarking models. 2. Investigate the finishing quality of produced part.

3. Varying different plastic material which are ABS and PLA.

4. Varying different low cost 3-D printers which are MendelMax and mini Kossel.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, a thorough review will be made based on the previous research regarding on the investigation of characteristics of the 3-D printer material. This chapter will facilitate the readers to understand the Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies and on how the geometric benchmark proposed will effect to the performance evaluation of rapid prototyping processes.

2.1 RAPID PROTOTYPING

RP is a common concept for several modern technology that allow materials to be produced without requiring any traditional tooling. A lot of manufacturing processes are subtractive, for the reason which they customize the geometry of plenty materials by eliminating components of the material until the final appearance is attained. Traditional milling as well as turning are pretty decent examples of subtractive techniques. By comparison, RP approaches are additive techniques. RP components are built-up

eventually in layers until the final geometry is acquired. The manner wherein the layers are manufactured, in spite of this, as well as the materials by which parts could be created significantly between the distinct RP processes (Fletcher, 2003).

A variety of RP techniques have already been engineered and are commercially on the market which includes Stereolithography (SL), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Three Dimensional Printing (3DP). Each and every RP approach produces parts in a variety of materials and through the use of various operating process such as photopolymerisation by SL, sintering by SLS, extrusion by FDM and jetting by 3DP (Hopkinson et al., 2012).

2.2 FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING (FDM)

FDM is regarded as the RP modern technology which utilizes an additive manufacure concept. Every single commercially attainable FDM model carries unique variations of process criteria for a variety of applications. A few of the wanted parts need to have remarkable surface finish together with good tolerance. The most popular criteria needing installation are the raster angle, tool path, slice thickness, build orientation, and deposition speed (Rizal et al., 2010).

FDM is also an RP method wherein a plastic is extruded via a nozzle that can trace the part's cross sectional geometry layer by layer. The FDM device usually requires two materials which are build material and support material. During this method, an automated robot is monitored the extruder head motions in two basic principle orientations over a table. The table could be lifted or dropped whenever you like. Extruder head keeps with a direction which is operated by the software and creates a thin layer of build or support material. After first layer the table is dropped and following layers are produced. Every single brand new layer creates seal with the previous layer. The support material is accustomed to develop the support structures which are instantaneously created for

(Marcincinova, 2012).

2.3 ACRYLONITRILE BUTADIENE STYRENE (ABS) MATERIAL

According to Stratasys (2011) ABS is the most frequently used thermoplastics, has recently become the strong foundation for FDM for quite some time. Assessed by yearly usage, it is really the most in-demand material in FDM equipments as it is so broadly applied. The ABS materials are an outstanding selection for models or prototypes in which the thermoplastics for FDM machines will give better tensile and impact strength.

ABS resins are thermoplastic resins made up of about three types of monomers which are firstly acrylonitrile, secondly butadiene, and the third one is styrene. The combination of those element as shown in Fig. 2.1 made as resins with the balance of hardness as well as softness by enhancing the brittleness, which can be the glaring issue polystyrenes, with inclusion of a rubber component while keeping hardness as well as fluidity, which have been the benefits of polystyrenes (Margolis, 2005)

Fig. 2.1 The Compound Structure of ABS (Source: Margolis, 2005)

2.4 SLICING METHOD

To summarize, a thinner slice layer generates perfect surface texture however it is going to boost up the creation of the model period. A lot of analysts have discovered that the layer thickness considerably affects the surface finish.

In accordance to Azanizawati (2003) better surface finish has been produced with low layer thickness. Ahn et al. (2009) revealed that layer thickness is regarded as the most convincing parameter for the surface texture of layer production. The publisher explained that the rates of surface roughness rely on various angles of the printing parts.

Anitha et al. (2001) practiced Taguchi approach to figure out the consequence of layer thickness, road width as well as deposition speed each at three levels on the surface roughness of part developed by using FDM method. The results show that layer thickness is regarded as the most convincing process parameter causing surface roughness along with road width as well as deposition speed.

Khan et al. (2006) discovered the impact of slice layer and also the support structures thickness on the surface roughness of product produced by FDM approach. Measurement of roughness was carried out on the either side of the specimen in perpendicular to the path of build up layer. The publishers claimed that lower positioning of slice thickness provides greater surface quality. Furthermore the part surface that is next to the top layer of the support provides smoother composition when compared with the other surfaces.

A geometric benchmark part is a produced and constructed for the productivity evaluation of rapid prototyping processes. The benchmark part integrates important shapes and top features of well-known benchmark parts. This also comprises brand new geometric features, for instance freeform parts, particular mechanical features which are rapidly required on of RP processes. The part is appropriate for manufacturing on an average RP machines. In this paper, the application of the benchmark part is exhibited by making use of slightly typical RP processes. The capability of the benchmark part to discover possible geometric features and accuracy. In this session, the related benchmark parts will be briefly discussed.

Table 2.1 Summing up of documented benchmark parts Properties Kruth (1991) Lart (1992) Gargiulo

, 3D systems (1992)

Ippolito (1994)

Juster and Childs (1994)

Mike Shellabear (1999)

Size Small Medium Large Large Large Small

Dimensions 100 x 50 mm - 240 x

240 mm

240 x 240 mm

250 x 250 mm 71 x 75 mm

Features incorporated Simple: cylindrical shell, inclined cylinders, pegs and overhangs Complex: rich in fine- and medium sized features Simple: features are planar Simple: Used the 3d systems benchmark part Comprehensive: Features to test linear accuracy and feature repeatability Simple: Planar surfaces, which include various angles Complexity of measurement Simple: but not standardized Difficult: Features not accessible to CMM

Simple Simple Simple Easy but not

standardised

1.3 OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the project are:

1. To investigate the vital parameters required for 3D printer by the quality of finishing product for low cost 3-D printers.

2. To differentiate the quality of finishing product of various geometric features based on standard benchmarking models produced from low cost 3-D printers. 3. To investigate the condition of produced part in terms of geometric dimensional

accuracy, capacity to fabricate specific geometry, repeatability, and surface roughness.

1.4 SCOPES

1. Design a standard test part based on standard benchmarking models. 2. Investigate the finishing quality of produced part.

3. Varying different plastic material which are ABS and PLA.

4. Varying different low cost 3-D printers which are MendelMax and mini Kossel.

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, a thorough review will be made based on the previous research regarding on the investigation of characteristics of the 3-D printer material. This chapter will facilitate the readers to understand the Rapid Prototyping (RP) technologies and on how the geometric benchmark proposed will effect to the performance evaluation of rapid prototyping processes.

2.1 RAPID PROTOTYPING

RP is a common concept for several modern technology that allow materials to be produced without requiring any traditional tooling. A lot of manufacturing processes are subtractive, for the reason which they customize the geometry of plenty materials by eliminating components of the material until the final appearance is attained. Traditional milling as well as turning are pretty decent examples of subtractive techniques. By comparison, RP approaches are additive techniques. RP components are built-up

eventually in layers until the final geometry is acquired. The manner wherein the layers are manufactured, in spite of this, as well as the materials by which parts could be created significantly between the distinct RP processes (Fletcher, 2003).

A variety of RP techniques have already been engineered and are commercially on the market which includes Stereolithography (SL), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Three Dimensional Printing (3DP). Each and every RP approach produces parts in a variety of materials and through the use of various operating process such as photopolymerisation by SL, sintering by SLS, extrusion by FDM and jetting by 3DP (Hopkinson et al., 2012).

2.2 FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING (FDM)

FDM is regarded as the RP modern technology which utilizes an additive manufacure concept. Every single commercially attainable FDM model carries unique variations of process criteria for a variety of applications. A few of the wanted parts need to have remarkable surface finish together with good tolerance. The most popular criteria needing installation are the raster angle, tool path, slice thickness, build orientation, and deposition speed (Rizal et al., 2010).

FDM is also an RP method wherein a plastic is extruded via a nozzle that can trace the part's cross sectional geometry layer by layer. The FDM device usually requires two materials which are build material and support material. During this method, an automated robot is monitored the extruder head motions in two basic principle orientations over a table. The table could be lifted or dropped whenever you like. Extruder head keeps with a direction which is operated by the software and creates a thin layer of build or support material. After first layer the table is dropped and following layers are produced. Every single brand new layer creates seal with the previous layer. The support material is accustomed to develop the support structures which are instantaneously created for

overhanging geometries and are afterwards taken away by splitting them away (Marcincinova, 2012).

2.3 ACRYLONITRILE BUTADIENE STYRENE (ABS) MATERIAL

According to Stratasys (2011) ABS is the most frequently used thermoplastics, has recently become the strong foundation for FDM for quite some time. Assessed by yearly usage, it is really the most in-demand material in FDM equipments as it is so broadly applied. The ABS materials are an outstanding selection for models or prototypes in which the thermoplastics for FDM machines will give better tensile and impact strength.

ABS resins are thermoplastic resins made up of about three types of monomers which are firstly acrylonitrile, secondly butadiene, and the third one is styrene. The combination of those element as shown in Fig. 2.1 made as resins with the balance of hardness as well as softness by enhancing the brittleness, which can be the glaring issue polystyrenes, with inclusion of a rubber component while keeping hardness as well as fluidity, which have been the benefits of polystyrenes (Margolis, 2005)

Fig. 2.1 The Compound Structure of ABS (Source: Margolis, 2005)

2.4 SLICING METHOD

To summarize, a thinner slice layer generates perfect surface texture however it is going to boost up the creation of the model period. A lot of analysts have discovered that the layer thickness considerably affects the surface finish.

In accordance to Azanizawati (2003) better surface finish has been produced with low layer thickness. Ahn et al. (2009) revealed that layer thickness is regarded as the most convincing parameter for the surface texture of layer production. The publisher explained that the rates of surface roughness rely on various angles of the printing parts.

Anitha et al. (2001) practiced Taguchi approach to figure out the consequence of layer thickness, road width as well as deposition speed each at three levels on the surface roughness of part developed by using FDM method. The results show that layer thickness is regarded as the most convincing process parameter causing surface roughness along with road width as well as deposition speed.

Khan et al. (2006) discovered the impact of slice layer and also the support structures thickness on the surface roughness of product produced by FDM approach. Measurement of roughness was carried out on the either side of the specimen in perpendicular to the path of build up layer. The publishers claimed that lower positioning of slice thickness provides greater surface quality. Furthermore the part surface that is next to the top layer of the support provides smoother composition when compared with the other surfaces.

2.5 REVIEW OF PREVIOUS BENCHMARK GEOMETRIES

A geometric benchmark part is a produced and constructed for the productivity evaluation of rapid prototyping processes. The benchmark part integrates important shapes and top features of well-known benchmark parts. This also comprises brand new geometric features, for instance freeform parts, particular mechanical features which are rapidly required on of RP processes. The part is appropriate for manufacturing on an average RP machines. In this paper, the application of the benchmark part is exhibited by making use of slightly typical RP processes. The capability of the benchmark part to discover possible geometric features and accuracy. In this session, the related benchmark parts will be briefly discussed.

Table 2.1 Summing up of documented benchmark parts Properties Kruth (1991) Lart (1992) Gargiulo

, 3D systems (1992)

Ippolito (1994)

Juster and Childs (1994)

Mike Shellabear (1999)

Size Small Medium Large Large Large Small

Dimensions 100 x 50 mm - 240 x

240 mm

240 x 240 mm

250 x 250 mm 71 x 75 mm Features incorporated Simple: cylindrical shell, inclined cylinders, pegs and overhangs Complex: rich in fine- and medium sized features Simple: features are planar Simple: Used the 3d systems benchmark part Comprehensive: Features to test linear accuracy and feature repeatability Simple: Planar surfaces, which include various angles Complexity of measurement Simple: but not standardized Difficult: Features not accessible to CMM

Simple Simple Simple Easy but not

standardised