3D printing has been widely used by designers and engineers to create prototypes. It also became a standard process for producing consumer items.
There are many different 3D printing technologies that designers can use today. FDM or Fused Deposition Modelling is known to be the most popular one.
But what does fused deposition modelling really mean? How does it work? Here is a blog post about what you need to know about the most commonly used 3D printing technology – FDM.
FDM was first developed in 1988 by S. Scott Crump (co-founder of Stratasys). Crump commercialized FDM in 1990 with Stratasys.
But in 2009, the first FDM patent had expired. This led the people to use this type of printing without paying to Stratasys. It also opens up commercial, DIY and open-source 3D printer applications.
Fused Deposition Modelling, also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is one of the additive manufacturing processes where an object is created by selectively depositing melted materials layer by layer. It usually uses thermoplastic polymers that come in filament form.
Below is the basic design details/settings for FDM printers:
± 0.15% (lower limit ± 0.2 mm) for industrial
1000 x 1000 x 1000 mm for industrial
A designer should have enough knowledge when it comes to the capabilities and limitations of FDM technology.
FDM offers several advantages to designers, engineers and hobbyists compared to other 3D printing technologies. However, it also a list of downsides. Listed below are the pros and cons of FDM printing.
Printing using FDM printers starts out with a CAD file. This CAD file should be converted to .stl format. Most FDM printers use two kinds of materials during printing. First is the modelling material which is basically the finished object. The other one is a type of support material which will serve as a scaffolding to support the object while printing.
During the printing process, plastic threads or filaments are used as modelling materials. The nozzle will melt these filaments and extrudes them onto a base or build platform. The nozzle and build platform are controlled by a computer which translates the data of an object into X, Y and Z coordinates. Then, it prepares the material for printing.
The extrusion nozzle will move horizontally and vertically to create a cross-section of the object. This is done repeatedly, layer by layer until a 3D part is formed.
3D parts that are printed with FDM printers generally have rough surface finish. Most of the time, it can be distracting since it is visible to the eye. With post-processing, you can easily get rid of these imperfections.
However, post-processing is not merely about aesthetics. It can also improve the feel, strength and other properties of a 3D part.
Some of the post-processing techniques that are used for FDM includes support removal, sanding, acetone smoothing, priming and painting, etc.
FDM technology has been widely used by designers and engineers today. It is used to produce prototypes and functional parts at a low cost. It is also commonly used by beginners because it is user-friendly and widely available.
If you are new with 3D printing, it would be a good idea to ask help from a professional to handle your 3D printing project. A 3D printing service company in Sydney can provide services such as 3D modelling, custom 3D printing, industrial 3D printing and many more.