Title: Assessing the challenges and issues in entry-level additive manufacturing machine

Authors: Vimal Kumar Pathak; Amit Kumar Singh

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, JLN Marg, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, JLN Marg, Jaipur 302017, Rajasthan, India

Abstract: Entry-Level Additive Manufacturing (ELAM) machines are made far less sophisticated compared to premium Additive Manufacturing (AM) machines for the sake of affordability. Often, machine resolution is also compromised, which may raise a question mark on quality. It is essential to gain a working knowledge of quality issues, considering the present rate of penetration of 3D printers in manufacturing. The objective of this paper is to examine geometric limitations and challenges of entry-level AM machines when fabricating complex objects. A systemic literature review providing an overview of additive manufacturing technology, the definition of ELAM, followed by a discussion on challenges in ELAM and improvement in dimensional accuracy to help the end users understand their machine well are presented in the paper. Ten experiments were performed on ELAM using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene polymer to illustrate and classify the developed defects. Most of the parts produced from ELAM machine suffer from quality issues such as geometrical and dimensional inaccuracy, warpage, oozing and surface imperfection, nesting, non-formation and deposition. This investigation displays a more realistic picture of ELAMs by identifying important restrictions and limitations which otherwise are hardly available to the end users or the manufacturers. The findings will help ELAM manufacturers to innovate their machine and make it better for professional use.

Keywords: entry-level additive manufacturing; ELAM; dimensional accuracy; circularity; warpage; oozin; acrylonitrile butadiene styrene; ABS.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRAPIDM.2016.078746

International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing, 2016 Vol.6 No.1, pp.53 - 74

Received: 17 Mar 2016
Accepted: 15 Jul 2016
Published online: 01 Sep 2016 *

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