A method for predicting geometric characteristics of polymer deposition during fused-filament-fabrication

Abstract

In recent years 3D printing has gained popularity amongst industry professionals and hobbyists alike, with many new types of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) apparatus types becoming available on the market. A massively overlooked component of FFF is the requirement for a simple method to calculate the geometries of polymer depositions extruded during the FFF process. Manufacturers have so far achieved adequate methods to calculate tool-paths through so called slicer software packages which calculate the required velocities of extrusion from prior knowledge and data. Presented here is a method for obtaining a series of equations for predicting height, width and cross-sectional area values for given processing parameters within the FFF process for initial laydown on to a glass surface.