Characterization of 3D printed plates using ultrasounds

3D printing is widely used across various domains and has advanced to the extent of being employed in crafting rocket parts. This study utilized ultrasound-based nondestructive testing to examine the ultrasound propagation with 3D-printed plates. The research focused on evaluating anisotropy due to filament orientation of FDM-based printed specimens and velocity variations based on the propagation of ultrasonic waves. Plate specimens with [0], [0, 90], [0, 60, 120] alignment were assessed using the pitch-catch method. Python was used to analyze the waveform in order to obtain the velocity of ultrasound. Results revealed that ultrasound propagates mainly along the filament's output direction. In plate specimens, ultrasound velocity and amplitudes depend on the propagation direction. As a result, using ultrasound can be used to evaluate the anisotropy of 3D-printed plates.