Investigation of Dimensional Integrity and Surface Quality of Different Thin-Walled Geometric Parts Produced via Fused Deposition Modeling 3D Printing

Advances in 3D printer technology are increasing rapidly, enabling the creation of many products. However, there are problems in ensuring dimensional integrity in parts produced using additive manufacturing. Dimensional integrity becomes even more important in the production of thin-walled parts, especially those used in the aerospace, aviation, and biomedical fields. For this reason, the production parameters should be controlled and the deviations from the actual dimensions minimized. This study was carried out under the conditions of three different geometries (square, round, and elliptical), three different wall thicknesses (1, 2, and 3 mm), and three different layer thicknesses (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mm). As a result of the study, the dimensional integrity, wall thickness accuracy, and surface roughness of different thin-walled geometrically shaped parts produced by 3D printer were determined. The highest dimensional accuracy was obtained in the square parts and the lowest in the round and elliptical parts. As the wall thickness was increased, the dimensional accuracy decreased, whereas the wall thickness accuracy increased. When the wall thickness was kept constant, as the layer thickness was increased, the dimensional accuracy increased, whereas the wall thickness accuracy decreased. Besides, the surface roughness was evaluated and it was determined that the layer thickness was the most important parameter affecting the surface quality of the samples. The starting point where the nozzle begins to form the layers and the gap formed between the wall layers were also determined to have an important effect on the geometric accuracy.