Experiment No.

AIM: To work for the 3D Models on FDM based 3D Printers in the 3D Printing Lab
Machine required: FDM 3D Printer and tool kits.
Theory:

3D printing is the process of making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model,
typically by laying down many thin layers of a material in succession.

it is also called the additive manufacturing Additive Manufacturing (AM) s an appropriate

name to describe the technologies that build 3D objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material as
opposed to the subtractive manufacturing such as machining.

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) or Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), is an additive

manufacturing process that belongs to the material extrusion family. In FDM, an object is built
by selectively depositing melted material in a pre-determined path layer-by-layer. The materials
used are thermoplastic polymers and come in a filament form.FDM is the most widely used 3D
Printing technology: it represents the largest installed base of 3D printers globally and is often
the first technology people are exposed to.
3D Models to Print : i) Key ii) Spur Gear
3d Printer Components List:

1. Filament: Filament is used for the FDM 3D printers. Filaments are available in spools. These
are heated to certain temperature and are liquified to be deposited on the print bed. This happens
in layers. The objects created by 3D printers are made of these filaments. There are many types
of filaments used for 3D printing. And, each one of them have different properties. They have
their own advantages and limitations. When getting a printer, one must take care of the
compatibility with different filaments. Not all printers allow multiple filament compatibility.
Some can process only one kind of filaments, mostly PLA. And, others can work with multiple
choices of filaments including PLA, ABS and many others.

2. Motion contorllers you must know that the 3D printers, as the name suggests works along the
three axes. Motion controllers receive instructions from the mother board about the movement
they must make, while they are the ones who perform the actual movements.

3. Print Bed: Different 3D Printers have different kinds of print bed. You can find heated as well
as non-heated print beds. A non heated print bed may be enough for PLA, however, for advanced
filaments, heated beds are recommended. These helps in enhancing adhesion and stability for
first layer of the print. Also, the print beds are designed using different materials. For example,
aluminium and glass print beds. Both have its own benefits and limitations. Aluminum print beds
 heat up faster and glass print beds, being flatter, provide better finish and are easy to maintain as
well. Some 3D printers offer automatic calibration of print beds.

4. Extruder: The extruder itself is made of different parts.

 The Filament Drive Gear: Also known as extruder drive gear is responsible for pushing the
filament into the hot end.
 The Heat Sink: The heat sink along with the heat Sink Fan ensures that the material is still in
solid state until it reaches the nozzle.
 The Heater Cartridge: This is the component that works to heat up the filament.
 The Thermocouple: To maintain the right temperature, the extruder uses a temperature
sensor. This is used for the hot end.
 The Cooling Fan: Once the melted filament is deposited, it must be cooled down for setting
before the next layer gets deposited. The job of the cooling fan is to ensure the same.

5. Nozzle: This forms the tip of the extruder. The filament is melted and it comes out of the nozzle
for deposition. There are different sizes of nozzles that the printers use. 0.4 mm is the most
common one. By keeping the smaller diameter of nozzle, one can achieve finer details with
greater accuracy. And, larger nozzle helps in printing at a higher speed..

6. Feeder system: There are two most common feeder system used in 3D printers: Bowden
feeder system and Direct feeder system. In a Bowden setup, there are different locations for cold
and hot ends. While a filament tube is used to direct the filament towards the hot end. This setup
can dramatically increase the print speed as the extruder becomes lighter. When talking about the
direct setup, the cold end and the hot end are directly connected. The direct feeder system is most
common among the users who work with flexible filaments.

7. Print Display :These days, most of the 3D printers, even the budget ones, comes with an LCD
user interface. With the help of this interface, one can control the printer settings without a need
for computer.

Working of FDM printer:

1. A spool of thermoplastic filament is first loaded into the printer. Once the nozzle has reached
the desired temperature, the filament is fed to the extrusion head and in the nozzle where it melts.

2. The extrusion head is attached to a 3-axis system that allows it to move in the X, Y and Z
directions. The melted material is extruded in thin strands and is deposited layer-by-layer in
predetermined locations, where it cools and solidifies. Sometimes the cooling of the material is
accelerated through the use of cooling fans attached on the extrusion head.
3. To fill an area, multiple passes are required . When a layer is finished, the build platform
moves down (or in other machine setups, the extrusion head moves up) and a new layer is
deposited. This process is repeated until the part is complete.

Advantages of FDM printer: Comparatively lower cost, Broad range in materials, Consumes
less time, Ease of use

Limitations of FDM 3D printer: FDM lays down layers much like hot glue coming out of a
glue gun, this often leads to ribbing, and you can see lines from each layer. An extra step of
polishing or sanding can be added to remove these lines. Supports may be required, Part strength
is weak perpendicular to build axis, and temperature fluctuations during production can lead to
separation of layers.

Applications of FDM 3D printer: FDM printed parts are used for massive amount of
applications across industries. From prototype to final parts companies in automobiles,
aerospace, medical, maritime, and railway have already adopted FDM as a manufacturing
process.