Study of the relationship between dimensional performance and manufacturing cost in fused deposition modeling

Purpose Quantifying and controlling the quality characteristics of parts produced by additive manufacturing (AM) processes has attracted significant interest in the research community. However, to increase the sustainability of AM processes, such quality characteristics need to be assessed together with life cycle performance of AM processes such as energy and material consumption and manufacturing cost. Although a few studies have been performed for several quality characteristics, i.e. surface roughness and tensile strength, the relationship between dimensional performance and manufacturing cost is still not well known for AM processes. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a comprehensive study of the dimensional performance and manufacturing cost of fused deposition modeling AM process is performed. Design of experiment technique is used, and the correlation of different cost components and the dimensional accuracy of parts are statistically studied. Findings The optimum process parameters for simultaneously optimizing the dimensional performance and manufacturing cost are identified. The analysis shows that as opposed to traditional manufacturing processes, obtaining a better dimensional performance is not necessarily associated with higher cost in the AM processes. Originality/value Almost no study and analysis for the combined dimensional performance and manufacturing cost has been performed for AM processes in the literature. It is known that within the context of traditional manufacturing processes, a natural trade-off governs the pursuit of higher dimensional performance and the manufacturing cost. However, as the AM process has a different nature compared with traditional manufacturing processes, the relationship between manufacturing cost and dimensional performance of parts has to be studied. Understanding this relationship will also help to establish a cost-optimal and sustainable tolerance allocation strategy in assemblies with AM components.

[1]  Joseph Pegna,et al.  Environmental impacts of rapid prototyping: an overview of research to date , 2006 .

[2]  Richard M. Everson,et al.  Optimisation of quality and energy consumption for additive layer manufacturing processes , 2010 .

[3]  Sam Anand,et al.  Optimum Part Build Orientation in Additive Manufacturing for Minimizing Part Errors and Support Structures , 2015 .

[4]  Brian Boswell,et al.  An Investigation of Dimensional Accuracy of Parts Produced by Three-Dimensional Printing , 2013 .

[5]  Ming-Chuan Leu,et al.  Additive manufacturing: technology, applications and research needs , 2013, Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering.

[6]  Glaucio H. Paulino,et al.  Bridging topology optimization and additive manufacturing , 2015, Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization.

[7]  Luigi Maria Galantucci,et al.  Experimental study aiming to enhance the surface finish of fused deposition modeled parts , 2009 .

[8]  David Bak,et al.  Rapid prototyping or rapid production? 3D printing processes move industry towards the latter , 2003 .

[9]  Guha Manogharan,et al.  Study of infill print design on production cost-time of 3D printed ABS parts , 2016 .

[10]  N. Venkata Reddy,et al.  Part deposition orientation studies in layered manufacturing , 2007 .

[11]  Sujit Das,et al.  Energy and emissions saving potential of additive manufacturing: the case of lightweight aircraft components , 2016 .

[12]  Richard J.M. Hague,et al.  The cost of additive manufacturing: machine productivity, economies of scale and technology-push , 2016 .

[13]  Kenneth W. Chase,et al.  Design Issues in Mechanical Tolerance Analysis , 1998 .

[14]  M A. Donmez,et al.  Proposal for a standardized test artifact for additive manufacturing machines and processes | NIST , 2012 .

[15]  Rupinder Singh,et al.  Process capability analysis of fused deposition modelling for plastic components , 2014 .

[16]  P. Wright,et al.  Anisotropic material properties of fused deposition modeling ABS , 2002 .

[17]  Douglas S. Thomas,et al.  Costs and Cost Effectiveness of Additive Manufacturing , 2014 .

[18]  Michael J. Cima,et al.  Three Dimensional Printing: Rapid Tooling and Prototypes Directly from a CAD Model , 1992 .

[19]  M. Cima,et al.  Three-Dimensional Printing: Rapid Tooling and Prototypes Directly from a CAD Model , 1990 .

[20]  J. Urbanic,et al.  An Experimental Study to Determine Geometric and Dimensional Accuracy Impact Factors for Fused Deposition Modelled Parts , 2012 .

[21]  David Dornfeld,et al.  Precision and Energy Usage for Additive Manufacturing , 2013 .

[22]  Ratnadeep Paul,et al.  Optimal part orientation in Rapid Manufacturing process for achieving geometric tolerances , 2011 .

[23]  S. S. Pande,et al.  Optimum part orientation in Rapid Prototyping using genetic algorithm , 2012 .

[24]  S. Jayanthi,et al.  Accuracy Improvement in Rapid Prototyping Machine (FDM-1650) , 2001 .

[25]  Lin Li,et al.  Dimensional Performance of As-Built Assemblies in Polyjet Additive Manufacturing Process , 2017 .

[26]  Sung-Hoon Ahn,et al.  A comparison of energy consumption in bulk forming, subtractive, and additive processes: Review and case study , 2014 .

[27]  Nicolas Perry,et al.  Rapid prototyping: energy and environment in the spotlight , 2006 .

[28]  Vera Denzer,et al.  Dimensional Tolerances for Additive Manufacturing: Experimental Investigation for Fused Deposition Modeling , 2016 .

[29]  R. K. Ohdar,et al.  Parametric appraisal of fused deposition modelling process using the grey Taguchi method , 2010 .

[30]  Jack Howarth,et al.  Effect of Build Parameters on Processing Efficiency and Material Performance in Fused Deposition Modelling , 2016 .

[31]  N. Venkata Reddy,et al.  Optimum part deposition orientation in fused deposition modeling , 2004 .

[32]  Jean-Yves Hascoët,et al.  Environmental Impact Assessment Studies in Additive Manufacturing , 2016 .

[33]  Shaleen Bhatia,et al.  Effect of Machine Positional Errors on Geometric Tolerances in Additive Manufacturing , 2014 .

[34]  S. Arunachalam,et al.  Critical parameters influencing the quality of prototypes in fused deposition modelling , 2001 .

[35]  Zicheng Zhu,et al.  A Process Planning Approach for Hybrid Manufacture of Prismatic Polymer Components , 2013 .

[36]  T. Nancharaiah,et al.  An experimental investigation on surface quality and dimensional accuracy of FDM components , 2010 .

[37]  Jan C. Aurich,et al.  Framework to Predict the Environmental Impact of Additive Manufacturing in the Life Cycle of a Commercial Vehicle , 2015 .

[38]  A. K. Sood,et al.  Improving dimensional accuracy of Fused Deposition Modelling processed part using grey Taguchi method , 2009 .

[39]  Ming-Chuan Leu,et al.  Progress in Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Prototyping , 1998 .

[40]  B. J. Alvarez,et al.  Dimensional accuracy improvement of FDM square cross-section parts using artificial neural networks and an optimization algorithm , 2013 .

[41]  D. Dimitrov,et al.  Investigating the achievable accuracy of three dimensional printing , 2006 .

[42]  Luigi Maria Galantucci,et al.  Analysis of Dimensional Performance for a 3D Open-source Printer Based on Fused Deposition Modeling Technique☆ , 2015 .

[43]  Duc Truong Pham,et al.  A comparison of rapid prototyping technologies , 1998 .

[44]  Seth Allen,et al.  Part orientation and build cost determination in layered manufacturing , 1998, Comput. Aided Des..

[45]  Kaufui Wong,et al.  A Review of Additive Manufacturing , 2012 .