Coupled thermomechanical analysis of fused deposition using the finite element method

A novel finite element-based simulation method is proposed for fused deposition modeling in two dimensions. The method assumes full coupling between the mechanical and thermal response under the assumptions of infinitesimal deformation and finite temperature variation. To account for continuous temperature-induced changes in the geometry, new elements are deposited on the current configuration, while the governing equations are solved on a reference configuration generated based on the desired shape. Representative simulations are conducted to assess the predictive capacity of the method, as well as the effect of thermomechanical coupling on the final shape of the printed solid.