Investigação da influência da temperatura sobre a resistência mecânica, qualidade superficial e dimensional de peças impressas pela técnica FPM

Abstract

Additive manufacturing has become a common practice across various industries due to its ability to efficiently produce complex parts on low and mediun scale. Among the various adopted techniques, the Fused Pellet Modeling (FPM) technique stands out, utilizing polymeric grains (pellets) as raw material. However, achieving functional parts with good surface quality and mechanical strength remains a challenge when using the FPM technique. These issues become even more complex when dealing with larger parts, as the associated thermal gradients tend to be more pronounced. In this context, the present research project aims to investigate the effect of print bed temperature on the mechanical strength, surface quality, and dimensional accuracy of parts printed using the FPM technique, employing ABS polymer. To achieve this, an actively controlled print bed will be developed and integrated into a manufacturing cell dedicated to 3D printing of large-scale products, with volumes of up to 1 m³. This manufacturing cell will feature a single-screw extruder operated by an industrial robotic arm to process the polymeric grains. The primary goal is to assess how precise control of print bed thermal conditions can positively impact the mechanical strength and quality of produced parts, particularly in larger volumes. In essence, this study addressed the influence of thermal gradients on additive manufacturing of ABS parts. Mechanical properties showed no significant correlations with temperature analyses at various levels. However, results from dimensional analysis and surface quality highlighted the critical importance of precise print bed temperature control, affecting parts according to different levels. Application of methods like dimensional analysis and microscopy revealed significant result variations. Furthermore, results across different print bed temperature levels proved crucial to part quality. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between temperature, print parameters, and properties of parts manufactured using FPM, offering valuable insights for future process optimizations.