Stress Simulation of the Structure of a Stretch Die Made by Fused Deposition Modeling

Abstract

The paper is devoted to the assessment of the possibility to use a new design of a stretch die made of plastics used for fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3 D printing. Studies were conducted to assess the stress-strain state of a stretch die, from the normal pressure of a deforming sheet blank in a NASTRAN solver, using the finite element method. The convergence assessment of the simulation results was carried out for different quantities and corresponding sizes of finite elements. The optimal thicknesses of the hollow structure of the stretch die were determined by step-by-step calculations of its stress-strain state for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG). On the basis of the conducted studies, a general algorithm was developed for the structural design of stretch dies made of plastics used for fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing.