Performance assessment of fused deposition modeling process

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is an additive manufacturing process that offers numerous benefits in terms of simplicity, ease of operation, material strength, flexibility, etc. However, its fabricated parts are frequently affected by poor dimensional and geometrical accuracy. Therefore, it is very important to understand the different sources of error in FDM so that appropriate measures can be taken to overcome its limitations. In this work, an attempt has been made to quantify the different sources of error which contribute to the poor accuracy of FDM fabricated parts. For this reason, a standard part (also referred to as benchmark part) which is comprised of various shapes, features and geometries have been used for the evaluation of the FDM process. The primary objective of this work is to characterize the FDM process in terms of dimensional and geometrical accuracy. Although, this research is specific to a particular machine, however, it would provide useful information regarding the procedure that can be employed when a benchmark part is utilized. This work can also act as a foundation to further improve the FDM machine design and expand its applications.