Surface Roughness Estimation of FDM and DMLS Build Parts

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies is now very fast gaining the popularity in various manufacturing industries because it provides full freedom to the developer to make difficult designs or shape in a very easy manner without any conventional limitation or without any bounding. For good surface roughness what optimum parameters should require in both DMLS and FDM specimens of AlSi10mg and ABS. Test parts are been fabricates with different layer thickness and build orientation in FDM process with three levels of experiment and DMLS sample are made by changing laser power, scan speed and build orientation with three levels of experiment. The use of DOE and desirability function of experiments was done to check the optimum factor level for making parts. Optimum process factor levels were then set in this research work to reduce the surface roughness. Experimental results obtained by producing parts with the optimum process parameter were validated. This study aims to promote the characterization and standardization of the AM process.

This study explored the surface roughness properties of the parts produced by the two AM processes, namely Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). The effect of process parameters on the surface roughness of the part was studied. The effect of layer thickness and build direction on the surface roughness of FDM parts was explored and efforts have been made to provide an explanation of the change in surface roughness. During the manufacture of parts using the DMLS process, the laser power, scanning speed and configuration orientation were varied and the relationship between these process parameters and the surface roughness of the parts was studied. This study concluded that changes in process parameters have a significant effect on surface roughness.