Development of a huge hybrid 3D-printer based on fused deposition modeling (FDM) incorporated with computer numerical control (CNC) machining for industrial applications

As recent advances in additive manufacturing (AM) technology has grown rapidly over the past decades, a wide range of applications in the various field has been proposed. Especially, large-scale 3D printing technology has emerged as one of the most innovative alternatives to the traditional manufacturing process due to its simple, fast, and cost-efficient features. In this article, we proposed a large-scale hybrid manufacturing equipment of the three-dimensional (3D) printer based on fused deposition modeling (FDM) incorporated with CNC machining. Our manufacturing system is designed to produce a product having dimensions up to 3,000 mm x 4,000 mm x 1,200 mm with an extruder having an extrusion rate of 30 mm center dot s(-1) and nozzle area of 15 mm(2) x 15 mm(2). We also optimized the operating conditions of our equipment including the shape of the nozzle, the temperature of the heater, and the RPM of the machining tool. The performance of the equipment was confirmed by pilot production via sand-casting. We expect that our hybrid manufacturing system can be widely used to produce various shapes of large-scale mold as a cost-effective alternative to conventional methods in the manufacturing process.