Failures and Flaws in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Additively Manufactured Polymers and Composites

Abstract

In this review, the potential failures and flaws associated with fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printing technology are highlighted. The focus of this article is on presenting the failures and flaws that are caused by the operational standpoints and which are based on the many years of experience with current and emerging materials and equipment for the 3D printing of polymers and composites using the FDM/FFF method. FDM or FFF 3D printing, which is also known as an additive manufacturing (AM) technique, is a material processing and fabrication method where the raw material, usually in the form of filaments, is added layer-by-layer to create a three-dimensional part from a computer designed model. As expected, there are many advantages in terms of material usage, fabrication time, the complexity of the part, and the ease of use in FDM/FFF, which are extensively discussed in many articles. However, to upgrade the application of this technology from public general usage and prototyping to large-scale production use, as well as to be certain about the integrity of the parts even in a prototype, the quality and structural properties of the products become a big concern. This study provides discussions and insights into the potential factors that can cause the failure of 3D printers when producing a part and presents the type and characteristics of potential flaws that can happen in the produced parts. Common defects posed by FDM printing have been discussed, and common nondestructive detection methods to identify these flaws both in-process and after the process is completed are discussed. The discussions on the failures and flaws in machines provides useful information on troubleshooting the process if they happen, and the review on the failures and flaws in parts helps researchers and operators learn about the causes and effects of the flaws in a practical way.

Benchtop assessment of sealing efficacy and breathability of additively manufactured (AM) face masks

“…These types of flaws were observed during this effort and an example is shown in Supplement 8. Causes for observed flaws could be explained by flaw mechanisms detailed in [54] . Verification tasks that could bolster confidence that the frame and AM components are reasonably leak free may help mitigate this risk.…”

3D Printing of Green and Renewable Polymeric Materials: Toward Greener Additive Manufacturing

“…14 The typically limited entanglement formation between layers of deposited filament lead to issues with the overall mechanical strength in the final part. 15 The lack of mechanical stability has led to important design considerations with FFF printing. Amorphous polymers will quickly cool once the heat is removed (once filament is deposited onto the plate or layer), resulting in less overall shrinkage of the print.…”

Experimental Study on the Possibilities of FDM Direct Colour Printing and Its Implications on Mechanical Properties and Surface Quality of the Resulting Parts

“…Using this approach, the aim of the paper is to analyse the influence of in-process filament colouring ( Figure 2 a) on tensile strength, impact strength, and surface quality from a geometrical point of view (roughness). Given the current state of the art and the fact that the main materials used in MEX fabrication are PLA (polylactic acid), PLA+ (a superior version of PLA obtained by using various additives), ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) [ 27 ], and PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) [ 28 ], a Taguchi L27 experimental design was used for this study, in which three materials (PLA, PLA+, and PETG), three different coloured inks (red, green, and blue), three colouring percentages (~33%, ~66%, and ~99%), and three infill ratios (15%, 30%, and 50%) were varied. The materials used in the present study are described in Section 2.1 .…”