DuraPrint

Optimizing FDM 3D-printing for durability. Master Thesis Mechanical Engineering, BTH Sweden.

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Be sure to check out my instagram @duraprint 

https://www.instagram.com/duraprint/

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All specimen are prepared and ready for tensile test. I will start to carry out the tensile tests next week. I am very excited to see the results. This week I have been busy writing the report. Images shows some illustrations I made for the report. 

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Simplify3D let you use specific slicing settings per model, very useful for me. Picture shows specimen printed with layer height 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, three specimens of each. Tensile tests will be preformed on these, testing which layer height has the best layer bonding properties.

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First picture is standard PLA printed with (top) and without cooling fan. The cooling fan is for example not suitable for printing materials like ABS. Second picture shows specimen in TPU a soft rubberlike material, this has to be printed very slowly to get good results. Last picture is #3dbenchy in the new very though nylon Alloy 910.

It is not always easy to get a print like you want it to. Especially if you want to use the same settings for different materials.

When the purpose is comparing materials it is important of course to do the printing with the closest possible setting. But different materials very often require the temperatures and other parameters to be tweaked. I’m trying to change as little as possible to get accurate and comparable results.

2016-03-25

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Quite some difference in the fracture between these two specimen. I see a lot of potential here. 2016-03-18

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Specimen printing in progress! 2016-03-14

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Doing some prototyping of a charpy inspired pendulum to destroy some #3dbenchys. 2016-03-09

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A lot of interesting people and hardware here at Creative Tools in Halmstad. Very excited to spend the next month working with them. 2016-03-04

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In every project it is important to gather as much information as possible at a early stage.

Here is a few valuable sources I’ve read

https://www.academia.edu/6209168/Mechanical_properties_of_components_fabricated_with_open-source_3-D_printers_under_realistic_environmental_conditions

http://my3dmatter.com/influence-infill-layer-height-pattern/

I have also made a few interviews with 3D printer users in the industry, they have provided me with insights from another point of view about durability of 3D printed products in practice. 

Frans Johansson

2016-02-17

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Making some tensile strength tests with ISO standards.

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Results of PLA vs Bridge Nylon

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Today I’m working on some new specimen geometries to test in the tensile test machine next week.

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Experimenting with some new bed adhesion tactics for POM/Delrin plastic. With the first couple of layers in PLA as raft the POM then seems to stick well. In the picture you can se the major differencies in shrinkage of POM(white) versus PET.

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Some experimental tensile strength testing of PLA and Bridge Nylon. Results of tensile strength tests will become available later. #3dprinting #additivemanufacturing #3dprint

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Work in progress on some visualizations for available options in 3D-printing. With this flow chart I want to show the spread of options and what I will focus on. 

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Hello.

My name is Frans Johansson and I study Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology. On this blog you can follow my progress and work focusing on optimizing 3D printing for durability.

I will be evaluating how 3D printer settings and materials choice affect the durability and mechanical strength of the printed product. The project will cover FDM, Fused Deposition Modeling, the most popular technique for plastic 3D printing today. 

This project in collaboration with Creative Tools AB will have open source and results presented in the fairest possible manner. 

The first three weeks of the project I will make a project plan, involving primarily the background and purpose of the thesis. 

Stay tuned!