Process Design and Parameters Interaction in Material Extrusion 3D Printing: A Review

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly known as “3D printing”, is rapidly integrated into many various fields, from everyday commercial to high-end medical and aerospace. Its production flexibility in small-scale and complex shapes is a significant advantage over conventional methods. However, inferior physical properties of parts manufactured by AM in general, and by material extrusion in particular, compared to traditional fabrication methods, inhibit its full assimilation. Specifically, the mechanical properties of printed parts are not high enough and, more importantly, not consistent enough. Optimization of the many various printing parameters is therefore required. This work reviews the influence of material selection, printing parameters such as path (e.g., layer thickness and raster angle), build (e.g., infill and building orientation) and temperature parameters (e.g., nozzle or platform temperature) on mechanical properties. Moreover, this work focuses on the interactions between the printing parameters, their mechanisms, and the statistical methods required to identify such interactions. Choosing the right parameters can increase mechanical properties by up to 60% (raster angle and orientation build), or render other parameters insignificant (material selection), while specific settings of certain parameters can completely inverse the influence trend of other parameters. Finally, trends for future research are suggested.

Impact of Process Parameters on Improving the Performance of 3D Printed Recycled Polylactic Acid (PLA) Components

“…[57]. This property is commonly employed as a technical specification for mechanical products, due to its impact on aesthetic appearance and its critical role in ensuring the structural precision of a component [58]. In order to evaluate the influence of printing parameters on surface roughness, a Mitutoyo surface roughness tester (model SJ-210) was utilized in this study.…”

Investigation of the Effectiveness of Silicon Nitride as a Reinforcement Agent for Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol in Material Extrusion 3D Printing

“…Those could be, among others, the printing speed, the layer thickness, the temperature of the nozzle, the bed, and the chamber, etc. [ 34 , 35 ].…”

4D Printing: The Development of Responsive Materials Using 3D-Printing Technology

“…There are different types of additive manufacturing (AM) that may be used to produce responsive materials [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Such processes include: powder bed fusion (regions of powder (commonly metal) are selectively melted using a laser, another layer of powder is deposited, and this process is performed repeatedly) [ 4 , 5 ]; binder jetting (liquid binder is deposited/jetted over a region of powder, additional powder is deposited, and this is repeated) [ 6 ]; directed energy deposition (laser melting of metals extruded from nozzles) [ 7 ]; material extrusion (molten thermoplastics are extruded from a nozzle) [ 8 ]; material jetting (regions of layers of liquid resin are cured (often with light), another layer of liquid resin is deposited, and this is repeated) [ 9 ]; stereolithography (regions of layers of liquid resin deposited on a print bed are UV-cured, the print bed is lowered, another layer of liquid resin is deposited, and this is repeated) [ 10 ]; sheet lamination (sheets of materials are cut to shape, another sheet deposited and made to adhere and then cut to shape, and this is repeated) [ 11 ]; electrospinning to deposit fibers onto a substrate to create a desired pattern (offering high print resolution and control over fiber orientation) [ 12 , 13 ], extrusion bioprinting (bioink composed of a mixture of cells and other materials are extruded from a nozzle followed by crosslinking or curing); inkjet bioprinting (droplets of bioink composed of a mixture of cells and other materials are jetted onto a print bed) [ 14 , 15 ]; laser-assisted bioprinting (laser pulses are used to generate droplets of bioink composed of a mixture of cells and other materials dropped onto a surface); multiphoton fabrication (an ultrafast laser is used to print structures inside other structures, including living organisms) [ 16 ]. The choice of which technique will be employed depends on the choice of materials used and the structure to be printed.…”