Fused Deposition Modeling - A State of Art Review and Future Applications

Fused Deposition Modeling – A State of Art Review and Future Applications
Rupinder Singh, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, Punjab, India
Harish K Garg, Maharaja Ranjit Singh State Technical University, Bathinda, Punjab, India
r 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1 Introduction 1
2 Fused Deposition Modeling 1
2.1 Process Variables in FDM 3
2.2 FDM Materials 6
3 Applications of FDM 7
3.1 Medicine 8
3.2 Rapid Casting 8
3.3 Rapid Tooling 9
4 Composite FDM Feedstock Filament 10
5 Case Study 10
5.1 Selection of Constituent Materials 11
5.2 Establishment of Melt Flow Index 11
5.3 Preparation of the Composite Wire 11
5.4 Testing and Analysis 12
5.5 Process Capability 13
6 Conclusions 15
Acknowledgment 17
References 17
Further Reading 20
1 Introduction
Rapid manufacturing (RM) is considered as the new industrial revolution because it has far reaching impact and has a wide range
of opportunities and advantages, (Garg and Singh, 2013). As of today, rapid prototyping (RP) is growing at a fast pace as one of
the newer perspective related to manufacturing is the saving of material and energy, (Chryssolouris et al., 2008). Parts made by RM
utilizes the additive layer-by-layer manufacturing technologies and it is seen that waste material that is generated is negligible,
(Kumar et al., 2012). Another advantage of RM is that it can be used when complex geometries are to be made and this gives
freedom for generation of new designs, (Garg and Singh, 2012). Tooling that is required for the above processes require a large
investment and a huge amount of time is required for designing the product, (Chabbra and Singh, 2011). Fused deposition
modeling (FDM), selective laser sintering (SLS), stereolithography (SL), and laminated object manufacturing (LOM) are some of
the RP processes which are finding applications in the industry, (Upcraft and Fletcher, 2003). The above technologies are used for
construction of physical models or functional components by using additive manufacturing principle, (Sugavaneswaran and
Arumaikkannu, 2014) and these are used for the purpose of testing and evaluation (Jain and Kuthe, 2013). RP is being put to use
from 1980s onward and utilize a CAD generated model through the software for constructing the solid model, (Melchels et al.,
2010). Steps shown in Figure 1 are followed for producing the prototype parts using FDM.
QFD analysis of FDM along with other processes of RP has been carried out and it is observed that FDM is the best method as it
has the ability to produce components which can be used for testing, according to Peres and Martin (1999).
2 Fused Deposition Modeling
FDM is one of the recent RP technique which was established in the 1980s and thereafter different series of FDM machines which
include FDM Dimension, FDM Maxum, FDM Titan, FDM Vantage, FDM 3000, and FDM Prodigy Plus have been brought in the
market, (Bakar et al., 2010). In the FDM process the feedstock materials are fed into the FDM extrusion head which is temperature-
controlled and it is heated to a semi-liquid state, (Rochus et al., 2007). The schematic of the FDM process has been shown in
Figure 2.
In the FDM machine, usually two types of materials namely support material and model material are used for construction of
physical model. Both the materials are supplied in the form of wires which are wound on the spools and these are fed into the
Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-803581-8.04037-6 1

2 Fused Deposition Modeling – A State of Art Review and Future Applications
Figure 1 Flow diagram for RP process.
Figure 2 Schematic of FDM, Garg and Singh (2011).
head of the machine. The head is temperature-controlled and the material is fed into the head where it is heated to a semi-liquid
state and deposited to produce the component. The material is extruded from the head and gets deposited on the fixtureless base
of the FDM machine, see Kumar et al. (2012). The extruded filament which is deposited onto the platform is recognized as a ‘road,’
Fused Deposition Modeling – A State of Art Review and Future Applications 3
(Bellini et al., 2004; Grimm, 2003). The material is directed by the head into the desired space with accuracy. As the layer is
extruded and is placed over the previous layer, it gets bonded to it and solidifies. The designed object gets fabricated as a three-
dimensional (3D) solid component for which no tooling is required. There are three axes X, Y, and Z in which the FDM machine
operates. The machine understands the STL language and file of the required part is fed into the preprocessing software of the FDM
machine. The software reviews the path data and after reviewing, tool paths are generating and the data is passed on to the FDM
machine for further processing. The layer thickness varies from 0.127 to 0.254 mm thickness and the best orientation is considered
and the component is sliced into number of horizontal layers. Wherever required a support structure is made first to support the
model material and the support material is based on the orientation and the geometry of the component. The support structures
are removed after the completion of the fabricated part and the surface of the part is finished, see Upcraft and Fletcher (2003).
2.1 Process Variables in FDM

Research has been carried out by researchers by studying the input paramters of the FDM process and optimization of these
parameters has been carried out so as to achieve FDM parts with high-dimensional accuracy with low surface roughness, low cost, and
lower build time. Moreover desired properties of the FDM manufactured parts has been achieved by studying the effect of the input
parameters. The various input and out parameters that have been of interest to the researchers have been summarized in Figure 3.
The quality of components produced by FDM is dependent on number of process variables which include layer thickness,
orientation of the part, raster angle, width of the raster, and the air gap. Higher the number of layers more will be the temperature
gradient which leads to better diffusion but at the same time can also lead to distortion within the layers. Small raster angles lead
to long raster which results in the accumulation of stresses but simultaneously gives higher strength to the part. Reduction in air
gap leads to better diffusion but reduces the rate of heat transfer, (Sood et al., 2010). A new approach has been formulated to
measure the surface roughness keeping in mind the key variables that have an impact on the surface roughness. The theoretical
approach has been verified with the practical experimentation. In addition, the effects of parameters namely the layer thickness,
surface angle, cross-section of the wire, and overlap interval have been analyzed on the surface roughness, (Ahn et al., 2009).
Dimensional accuracy is an important aspect in manufacturing and factors which include thickness of layers, orientation of the
part, raster angle, raster width, and the air gap are having an effect on the dimensional accuracy of the manufactured part. By
applying Taguchi’s design of experiment it is observed that large numbers of factors which conflict with each other or in interaction
with other factors influence the dimensional accuracy. Some are predominant as compared to the others and for best accuracy
optimum settings of these parameters should be used by following a structured methodology, (Sood et al., 2009). The FDM parts
that are produced have some roughness which have been analyzed. The process parameters that have an effect on the roughness
are the slice height, width of the raster, and tip diameter. The first two parameters are seen to have a significant effect of the
roughness while the tip diameter has seen to be having very little effect, see Galantucci et al. (2010a,b).
Figure 3 Processing output parameter for FDM.

Modeling of in-plane mechanical properties of FDM manufactured parts have been carried out by controlling the local
parameters like deposition densities and the orientation of the part. The two properties in combination are varied and the effect on
the stiffness of the finished product is studied. Different raster angles lead to wide variety of laminates with varying set of
properties, (Liu et al., 2002). Taguchi method has been employed to design optimization for quality and is used to find out the
optimal parameters for FDM process. The process was investigated to achieve an optimal elastic performance for an acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS) prototype so that maximum throwing distance is achieved. It was also found that the main process
parameters for the FDM process are the layer thickness, raster angle, and the air gap and these have a significant effect on the elastic
performance of the FDM manufactured parts, (Lee et al., 2005). Many researchers have thought that the accuracy of the part, build
time, the support structure, and cost incurred are the criteria to determine the orientation of deposition of the part. Some have
determined the part deposition orientation using cusp height as the limiting parameter with the assumption that the profiles of the
build edges are rectangular.
To have an optimum part deposition orientation, systems should be based on the actual surface profile characteristics for different
LM techniques in which all the possible part orientations are taken into account, (Pandey et al., 2007). In an FDM process it is seen by
using the Taguchi method that different parameters have different effect on the surface roughness of the final product. By pooling it is
seen that the effectiveness of the layer thickness increases. Other factors like road width and the speed has a much lower contribution,
(Anitha et al., 2001). An extensive study has been carried to study the effect of five parameters namely layer thickness, orientation of
the part, raster angle, air gap, and raster width on the sliding wear of specimen which has been built on FDM. Microphotographs have
been used to explain the wear mechanism. The optimum parameter settings is achieved by using quantum-behaved particle swarm
optimization (QPSO), (Sood et al., 2012a,b). Investigations have been done to study the effect produced by parameters like width of
the contour, contour depth, raster width, and angle of the raster on the effect of quality of the fabricated part, see Chang and Huang
(2011). In the research work, the five processing parameters which include the layer thickness, orientation of the part raster width,
raster angle, and the air gap are studied for their effect on the compressive strength of the FDM built part. Through experimentation it
was seen that the nature of the FDM parts was brittle and anisotropic. A relationship was developed between the compressive
strength (output) and the process parameters (input) and this relation was able to explain the variation of 96.13% in the response
parameters, (Sood et al., 2012a,b). A functional relationship has been developed between the process parameters and the mechanical
properties of the FDM parts for the purpose of prediction in response to the surface methodology. Layer thickness, orientation air gap
raster angle, and the raster width were the process parameters that were taken into consideration. The strength of the part increases if
the number of layers is more. This is due to the development of a temperature gradient at the bottom of the part which promotes
diffusion between adjacent rasters (Panda et al., 2009).
FDM process optimization is important so as to achieve high quality functional parts with good accuracy. To achieve this,
research work is being carried out by various researchers and they have used various optimization techniques which include
factorial design, central composite design, Taguchi method, and response surface methodology. Optimization is necessary so as to
achieve parts of high quality with low cost and in a short duration of time, (Patel et al., 2012). The best settings for orientation
which leads to lower costs by using less support material have been investigated by Singh (2014). In this work deposition through
curved layers in FDM has been studied and tested. This has been found to be quite successful in fiber continuity particularly in the
case of thin shell like structures. There has been a marked improvement in the mechanical characteristics of FDM built parts by
using this method. Mathematical modeling has been done for curved slicing and the same has been put to use on certain case
studies effectively, see Singamneni et al. (2012). An approach has been developed for optimal orientation of part deposition for
the FDM process. Two objectives which include the time to build the part and reduce part surface roughness are minimized using
their weighted sum. Support structures are equally important part of building a part and an attempt has been made to minimize
the supports used in part development reported by Thrimurthulu et al. (2004). An efficient algorithm for support generation which
is based on the slice data has been proposed and tested. The algorithm is useful in adding supports to the overhanging surfaces and
edges. It helps in reducing the redundant supports which are present by utilizing the self-supporting ability of the build parts
shown by Xiaomao et al. (2009). A methodology has been proposed to reduce the consumption of material and also to reduce the
time to manufacture the layered manufactured parts. It is proposed to create a part using narrow waster’s internal structure which
creates internal voids where no supports are required. The approach can be used on any of the layered techniques but has been
successfully tested on FDM. The shell width and the internal angle have significant effect on the compressive strength whereas the
raster width has relevance only for the manufacturing time, see Galantucci et al. (2008).
To determine the best orientation of the part based on the minimum volumetric error in the component due to staircase effect,
a generic algorithm has been proposed. This system is tested to work on complex geometries and for a wide range of layer
thickness. According to the algorithm the product can be placed in such a manner in space by manipulating the rotation around
any of the X, Y, and Z axis or it can be achieved by rotation about a combination of any two axes. This provides the user in making
a better decision as regards to manufacturing RP parts using RP techniques to obtain a high degree of accuracy and good quality
surface finish according to Masood et al. (2003). The LM processes like FDM requires supports for building the parts but these
supports add to the cost and increase the time of manufacture for the product. Moreover it leads to the degradation in the surface
finish of the part. A new study demonstrated a method so that the use of support structures is minimized. An algorithm known as
MOD is developed based on the concept that more flexibility can be obtained in the LM processes if the deposition of material
takes place from multiple directions. By implementing the algorithm there was an improvement in the ability of the system to
produce overhang parts as shown by Yang et al. (2003). Development of a new approach to adaptive slicing has been done in
which all the parts and its features are fabricated independently of each other. The effectiveness of this technique as the parts
becomes more complex or there is an increase in volume whereas the deterioration is seen in the convention adaptive slicing
techniques. The extrusion temperature was increased to prevent delamination when the part was built using thin layers and
revision of calibration is requires so that an accurate and smooth surface is obtained, reported by Tyberg and Bohn (1999). Most of
the RP techniques prepare a solid prototype layer by layer. To reduce the time of manufacture and to reduce the cost by saving of
material, the solid prototype which is being manufactured by the RP technique is made hollow by extracting some material from
inside of the solid model. Though this reduced the strength during building but it is compensating by the use of internal supports
which gives the necessary strength to the component, (Lam et al., 1998). Parts were made up by 3D printer, NCD’s, and FDM and it
is seen that these parts have anisotropic properties which was measured by measuring the compressive strength. It was confirmed
that the direction of build is an important characteristic that affects the mechanical properties of the manufactured part. The parts
made by FDM process had better compressive strength as compared to the other two processes, (Lee et al., 2007). A new technique
which automatically computes the support structures for the component and thereafter decides the best orientation from the list of
developed orientations has been developed, according to Allen and Dutta (1994). An optimal orientation which is based on
variable slicing thickness for a polyhedral object has been developed by Sreeram and Dutta (1994). Models for costs were
presented for SL and FDM in so that the cost of the part can be estimated for various orientations and suitable orientation is
selected from the list of preselected base planes, see Alexander et al. (1998). Surface finish of components produced through FDM
is inferior as compared to other RP processes. This is due to the process resolution which is controlled by the filament thickness,
according to Bidanda et al. (1991). There are large numbers of factors which have an effect on the surface finish and dimensional
accuracy of the FDM produced parts. These factors may have an independent effect or they may have an effect of the surface finish
in interaction with each other according to Garg (2005). To improve the surface finish and dimensional accuracy of the parts
manufactured with FDM, post-process treatment is given to the parts shown by Kuo and Su (2013) and Ahn et al. (2004). To
improve upon the surface finish and reduce the roughness of the FDM manufactured parts the part is treated with a solution of
90% dimethylketone and 10% water. It is concluded that there is a slight reduction in the tensile strength of the ABS part but the
ductility was improved dramatically along with the improved surface finish. There is improved isotropy after the treatment which
increased the flexural strength of the ABS component, see Galantucci et al. (2010a,b). An experimental design technique has been
established to determine the optimal surface finish of the component developed through FDM technique, as stated by
Vasudevarao et al. (2000). In FDM process the product formation takes place by building of layers one over the other. The volume
of material that is used in actual and as per theoretical calculations varies and the error is referred as the volumetric error. This has
an effect on the dimensional accuracy and surface finish of the part.
A mathematical technique based on primitive volume approach is developed to obtain the best orientation so as to reduce the
volumetric error to the minimum according to Masood et al. (2000). Surface roughness is one of the major concerns in FDM built
parts. The surface roughness is due to the staircase effect in the parts produced by RP. A semi empirical model that can be used for
the evaluation of the surface roughness has been proposed and tested. This is achieved by using a simple material removal process
known as the hot cutter machining (HCM), see Pandey et al. (2003a,b). Attempts have been done to improve the surface quality
and the accuracy of the parts built by FDM. Improvement of the quality with the decrease in production time are in contradiction
with each other as decreasing the build time leads to the staircase effect which affects the quality. There have been a number of
attempts to tackle this problem and adaptive slicing procedures have been proposed to tackle the issue. In the research work
carried out a new adaptive slicing procedure is proposed based on real time edge profiles of deposited layers, Pandey et al. (2003a,
b). A close relationship exists between the surface roughness and tolerance of a part. The surface finish obtained by FDM process is
important especially in cases where these parts will have an interaction with other materials in their service life, reported by
Magrab (1997). The surface quality using a benchmark polygon model was assesses for textured FDM parts as shown by Armillotta
(2006). Number of aspects of FDM technology to study surface roughness and dimensional precision has been studied. Roughness
parameters (Ra and Rq) have been studied and these are used to analyze the surface quality of the parts. It is also seen that the
surface roughness is highly dependent on the layer height, (Perez, 2002). The nozzle diameter is a major factor that affects the
desired accuracy of FDM parts. Researchers have seen that amount of material used as per CAD drawing and its actual con-
sumption differs which is called the volumetric error. This error is one of the reasons for having less dimensional accuracy and
surface finish according to Grenda (2006). To improve upon the accuracy of FDM parts, research has been carried out by adopting
software error compensation. The STL and SSL file formats were used in the research work. The STL format was used to reduce the
volumetric error by 30% whereas the SSL format compensation method was utilized to reduce the formed errors, Tong et al.
(2008). The dimension of any component through FDM depends on the shrinkage which is found to be more prominent in the
length as compared to the width. Positive deviation is observed in the direction of the thickness. The factors that can be considered
to control the shrinkage in the direction of the length are the higher layer thickness, medium raster width, maximum raster angle,
and the maximum air gap.
To minimize the change in width medium raster angle with medium air gap is utilized whereas less layer thickness, lower raster
angles, and more air gap are favorable for low difference in the direction of thickness, stated by Bakar et al. (2010) and Sood et al.
(2009). The process capability of FDM machine lies well within the 76 sigma limits making it a highly capable process. The
control charts X chart and R chart show that the FDM is a process which manufactures products with high precision, as stated by
Garg and Singh (2011). Various hollowing techniques have been used for RP technology to bring about the improvement in the
processing efficiency of the RP system. A two-dimension hollowing algorithm has been developed and implemented. The
advantage of this algorithm is that it can be used online which is not feasible in a three-dimension algorithm, (Cai et al., 2007).
Several factors that had an effect on the shape profile of FDM produced parts have been analyzed and then validated by
profilometric analysis presented by Boschetto and Veniali (2012).
Flattened sections are observed in the case vertical walls. With the decrease in slope, the flatness decreases whereas the spacing
increases. In the case of tilted surfaces the sections are sharpened whereas in the case when surface is not tilted, the sharpening is
less pronounced, Boschetto et al. (2013). 3D nonrandom structures which are porous in nature are being developed by using the
FDM technology and these find widespread applications in the biomedical field. The structures that are built by FDM were
evaluated for their use in tissue engineering. The properties that affect the porous structure are the porosity, compressive strength,
and the pore diameter. The process found to be capable of giving the right degree of porosity and the 3D microstructure. The ease
of varying the microstructure to achieve certain functional and structural requirements of tissue engineering is met by the FDM
technology, (Too et al., 2002). There is wide spread applications of porous ceramic materials in metal filters, catalyst supports
sensors, and bone grafts. One of the main requirements of such parts is the porosity which is needed to reduce the weight of the
manufactured structure and also to increase the area of contact which leads to an increase in activity. The most important aspects
which are to be kept in mind are the control over the geometry of the pore and improvement in the mechanical properties of the
porous structure. FDM technique has been utilized in the manufacturing of 3D honeycomb ceramic structure having controlled
porosity, Bose et al. (1999). A new mobile FDM system which is flexible in nature has been developed for a standard commercial
FDM 3000 system. In this set up the control box, stage assembly, and the chamber were disassembled. The setup arranged in such a
way that the head extrudes out of the machine and the material can get deposited on any free surface. With this the constraint of
space inside the chamber is removed and moreover features can be added to the existing FDM parts, Choi et al. (2011). FDM is one
of the most commonly used RP processes with which components with good strength can be produced from ABS.
The parts which are complex in shape are difficult to manufacture by FDM. In the research work adhesives belonging to five
different families namely polyurethane, acrylic, cyanoacrylate, epoxy, and silicone have been studied to join simple parts made
with FDM to form complex geometries. This has been done by the applications of multi-criteria decision analysis which is based
on means of the application of technical multi-criteria decision analysis based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The
selected adhesive is adaptable to the FDM parts and has better mechanical properties as compared to ABS, Arenas et al. (2012). The
integrity and the mechanical properties of any polymer depend on the bonding between the different filaments. Research has been
carried out to study the bonding quality between the filaments of ABS in FDM process. Thermal analysis and sintering experiments
has been carried out to estimate the same. Model has been developed to estimate the effect of the various process parameters on
properties of the final product, Bellehumeur et al. (2004).
2.2 FDM Materials

RP techniques have been used for the development of composites which can have wide variety of applications which include
optical, thermal, and in electronics. SL and LOM can be put to use for continuous fiber-reinforced composites. SLS and LENS are
capable of producing composites in situ ceramics. With the development of new powders which are being used in SLS/LENS/3DP,
avenues to development of composites through RP is gaining ground, Gray et al. (1998). To reduce the time to produce parts is
important for speeding the development of new parts. Commercially available RP systems use paper, polymer, or wax as their
feedstock material. Metallic components are required in the automotive industries and the goal to achieve these parts can be
achieved through RP. There are two possibilities with the 1st one being the production of wax prototype in FDM followed by
investment casting (IC). The 2nd one is direct manufacturing by multiphase jet solidification (MJS), Greul et al. (1995). There is a
vast variety of materials which are being put to use. The type of material used depends on the type of application that is the end
use. Different materials used in FDM find applications in different areas of application which may be in the medical field or in the
field of aerospace engineering. There are standard materials which have been supplied by the manufacturers and on the other hand
we have FDM materials which are specific to certain application.
The standard materials which are in existence which have high strength include the ABS, polyamides, polyethylene, polypropylene,
and polycarbonates, Greul et al. (1995) and Nikzad et al. (2011). Out of these ABS find wide applications and is used for building
parts which can be put to actual use as a prototype. There are wide range of grades of standard FDM materials which include ABSplus,
ABS-M30, ABS-M30i, ABSi, PC-ABS, PC, PC-ISO, PPSF/PPSU, and ULTEM 9085, Marcincinova (2012). Application orientated
composites have come into existence with the use of RP for RT and RM, Ilardo and William (2010). The primary task for a new
feedstock development is the selection of material which can run in the FDM machine. Researchers keep their focus on the con-
stituents used along with their proportions. Certain specific properties of the composite material satisfying the requirements are also
considered, Nikzad et al. (2007). Work is being carried out on new materials which are metallic and ceramic in nature which can run
on FDM. These materials can be used for development of functional prototypes and these have better mechanical and thermal
properties, Agarwala et al. (1996a,b). Experimental investigations have been carried out on a new metal polymer which consists of
10% iron (Fe) particles by volume in FDM material. The wire of developed composition was prepared on the screw extruder was
subjected to mechanical testing which gave high values as compared to ABS, Nikzad et al. (2007) and Bigg (1984). A mixture of poly-
e-caprolactum (PCL), hydroxyapatite (HA), and montmorillonite (MMT) has been developed a new nano-composite material which
can be used in FDM new polymer, Reazul et al. (2014). High performing thermoplastic composite which can be used for FDM has
been developed at Virginia Tech and they have used thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers (TLCP) fibers. These have been used in
FDM machines for the development of parts that can be used for direct applications. The tensile strength of this material was found to
be much higher as compared to ABS, Gray et al. (1998). In tissue engineering and maxillofacial surgery composites are used which are
made up of Poly lactic acid (PLA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP).
The suitability of PLA for the FDM system has been analyzed and PLA/TCP components has reasonable mechanical
properties for their potential use, Dietmar et al. (2012). Research work has been done at Rutgers University (US) for the devel-
opment of fused deposition of ceramics (FDC) and metals. Functional parts have been prepared from a large variety of ceramic
and metallic materials. The materials include aluminum oxide, silicon nitrate, hydroxypatite, PZT, and stainless steel. These
materials can be put to wide applications like electro-ceramic and bio- ceramic applications, Agarwala et al. (1996a,b).
Many researchers have reported the use of biomaterials such as HA (Bose et al., 1999), PCL (Hutmacher et al., 2000; Zein et al.,
2002; Chim et al., 2006), PCL-b-TCP (Chim et al., 2006), PP-b-TCP (Kalita et al., 2003), b-TCP (Bose et al., 2003), POT/PBT
(Moroni et al., 2006) for FDM applications. FDM filament has been prepared by utilizing the mixture of polypropylene (PP) and
ceramic powder. The ceramic powders include mullite (3Al2O3, 2SiO2), fused silica (SiO2), titanium dioxide (TiO2), and
alumina (Al2O3). Various additives such as tackifiers, elastomers, and plasticizers are added so that the different properties like
viscosity, stiffness, and strength can be achieved as per requirement, Seyi et al. (2001). A new polymer matrix composite (PMC)
feedstock material consists of iron powder filled in an ABS and surfactant powder (binder) material was investigated
experimentally.
The effect of higher powder loading of iron filler affected the hardness, tensile and flexural strength of PMC material, Sa’ude
et al. (2013a,b). There are wide variety of medical grade materials which are put to use to manufacture RP prototypes and can be
used for different medical applications, Negi et al. (2014). A new polymer matrix composite of copper and ABS has been
developed and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) has been carried out. The testing for DMA has been done successfully for
storage modulus and tan δ. It is seen that the properties of the composite varies as the percentage of copper in varied. There was a
proportional increase in the storage modulus and tangent delta with the increase in copper content in copper filled ABS. This is an
indication that storage modulus and tangent delta are percentage of copper in the composite, Sa’ude et al. (2013a,b). A composite
of polyamide 6(PA6) filaments reinforced with a-Al2O3 nano-particles have been developed as a feedstock material for FDM
filament. Tensile tests have been carried out and it is seen that the yield strength and the Young’s modulus have improved as
compared to polycarbonate. The mechanical strength and the thermal stability of this composite filament are better than neat PA 6
filament; Saengkwamsawang et al. (2011). Functional parts that can be made on FDM can find direct applications in Rapid Tooling
(RT) from a range of materials which include the composite materials. The composite has been developed from Iron powder and
nylon. The composite wire has been developed on a screw extruder and it was concluded that the composite parts developed have
high mechanical and thermal characteristics, Masood and Song (2005). Research has been carried out by blending short glass
fibers with that of ABS .Investigation has been done to use this composite as a feedstock for FDM filament. The experiments
showed that the fiber reinforced composite improved the strength but simultaneously there has been a reduction in the flexibility
and handle ability of the filament. The reduction in these two properties is compensated by the use of plasticizers and compa-
tibilizers, Zhong et al. (2001). A new FDM filament of Iron and nylon(P301) mixed with plasticisers and surfactants has been
proposed to reduce the manufacturing cost and time for injection molding applications, Nagahanumaiah et al. (2008). For direct
use in FDM, flexible filaments of hybrid material have been developed which consists of Iron in ABS and Copper in ABS. The filler
size was varied for carrying out the research and also the work involved the variation of the percentage of the filler material, i.e., Fe
and Cu. Parts have been manufactured using the new composite material and these are shown to have higher stiffness as compared
to the polymeric materials. The mechanical properties and the thermal conductivities of these composites are particularly useful in
preparing functional parts and in direct tooling applications, Nikzad et al. (2011). A new composite material obtained by mixing
of Iron, ABS, and the surfactant material in suitable proportions. Focus was given on the development of proper formulation and
mixing of the constituent materials. A strong, flexible, and conductive feedstock filament has been developed from the above
constituents and it is suitable for manufacture of dies and tools, Sa’ude et al. (2013a,b).
3 Applications of FDM
There has been widespread use of FDM in industrial applications ranging from medicine, rapid casting to RT in recent times. The
various fields in which RM find its applications include the aerospace, automotive applications, medical applications, motor sport
components, Pham et al. (1999). RM also finds application in various consumer products which include light shades, furniture,
and even football boots, Lam et al. (1998).
3.1 Medicine
FDM which is a layer-based manufacturing or solid freeform fabrication (SFF) can be used for production of medical models. A
titanium denture base plate has been designed and fabricated using laser rapid forming technique of RM, Gao et al. (2009). In
FDM process, physical prototypes of human implants are fabricated without the use of specialized expensive tooling. This is
achieved by receiving that in the form of virtual CAD model which is converted into a 3D working prototype, Winder et al. (1999).
To develop more suitable biomedical products at reduced costs at a higher speed FDM can be put to use. FDM has been used to
fabricate tissue engineering scaffolds, Hieu et al. (2005). FDM is used for development of customized prostheses which is used in
biomedical applications. A replication technique that can be used for biomedical component fabrication has been presented
Singare (2007) and Mahajan (2013). Objects having real 3D shape like hip joint (Figure 4) were selected and fabricated using ABS
material by the use of FDM. Thereafter molds were prepared and casting carried out using the hip joint model produced by FDM.
The latest trends in the applications of RP in the field of medical sciences has been put forth, Hieu et al. (2005) and Wang et al.
(2008). RPT has a unique ability to accurately fit prosthesis to a patient as per his unique proportion. Various parts of the body like
the hip sockets, knee joint, and the spinal implants have been suggested. A more practical application of RP in which physical
models can be produced of an atomic structure which can serve as a useful tool for the purpose of diagnosis, planning of surgery,
and in the manufacturing of custom implants has been presented, Vermeulen et al. (2013). Separation of skull of two Siamese twin
born babies can be seen as one of the marvelous application of RP in medicine. RPT was a very useful tool in the planning of
surgery for this purpose, Tukuru et al. (2008). Another application of FDM-based prototype is shown in Figure 5 for a skull of an
accidental patient. The doctors employed RPT for the study of the skull before surgery.
A technical procedure of the manufacture of prototypes for medical implants has been developed and performed on a hip implant
which was manufactured with various metallic alloys F75(ASTM), Monteiro and Simoes (2009). The implants that are required in the
human body are first identified through a CT scan or MRI for that particular part which is followed by conversion into a 3D geometry
using MIMICS. This is further used in the FDM for the manufacture of implants as per the requirement of the human body Berce et al.
(2005) and Ramieri et al. (1999). The generalized procedure for creating medical implants is shown in Figure 6.
3.2 Rapid Casting

The time taken and the cost to produce a conventional pattern are quite high especially for complex patterns. To reduce the cost
and time for production of complex patterns, RP is a perfect way, Chakradeo and Kulkarni (2002) and Rooks (2002). RP models
are being increasingly used by experienced persons in the foundries as they are more accurate, Dickens et al. (1995). Number of
persons are working across the world to improve the accuracy and the stability of the models, Dickens and O’Shaughnessy (1994).
The accuracy of the final casting depends on the accuracy of the wax pattern for ICs, Bell (1995). FDM which is a layered
manufacturing technique, is identified as a viable and economic option which is comparable with machining that is used for the
manufacturing of the core boxes, Bernard et al. (2003). FDM process can be used directly to build pattern for IC or other casting
process, Pham et al. (1999), Chua et al. (1999), Dickens et al. (1995), Pal et al. (2002), and Rathore et al. (2002). A significant
amount of savings in time (89%) in the production times for the patterns which are produced using RP techniques as compared to
sacrificial patterns, Lee et al. (2004). It is seen that RP lowers the cost and reduces the lead time for casting jobs of low volumes. It
also enables IC to be cost effectives as compared to machining and welding for low volumes, Mueller (2005).
Fabrication of FDM-based plastic parts for rapid casting has been reviewed, Singh (2012). In today’s modern casting techni-
ques, IC is one of the major technique which is being followed for the purpose of castings, Clegg (1991), Wu (1997), Yodice
(1999), and Zhang et al. (2000a,b). ICs have been produced using the FDM technology by using the part produced from ABS
material using the CAD data as a pattern, Kakde and Tumane (2012). Patterns made from FDM can be used in place of traditional
wax patterns employed in the IC process, Ingole et al. (2009). FDM technique is being used to make patterns for casting
which utilizes ABS and wax. Both the above materials fabricated from the FDM technique is found to be suitable for burn
out from the shell made of ceramic with minimum modification in the existing foundry practices, Grimm (2003). Number of
researchers have successfully used the RP techniques for making quality patterns, cavities and cores for IC, Pal et al. (2002), Wang
Figure 4 Hip joint model (Mahajan, 2013).

Figure 5 STL file of a human skull.
Figure 6 Generalized procedure for creating medical implants, Gibson et al. (2004).
et al. (1999), and Chua et al. (2005). A survey has been conducted at various foundries to check the feasibility of the use of ABS for
the purpose of IC. The results showed that the ABS material patters are suitable for IC processes, Gouldsen and Blake (1998).
3.3 Rapid Tooling

There is tremendous competition in the market and products are to be developed quickly and should be cheap. To achieve the
above goals RM has played a pivotal role so as to assess the esthetics, ergonomics, and fitment of the part. RT, an evolution
from RP, is helpful in extending the advantages of reduced time and cost in the important area of prototype tooling, Rosochowski
and Matuszak (2000). Product development time is reduced through RP, whereas the production time can be reduced
drastically by RT, Karunakaran et al. (2012). A new fabrication technique which is a hard tool fabrication technique
namely FDMet has been developed to fabricate prototypes made up of metal. The fabrication is carried out directly from
computer aided CAD file and for this purpose no molds, dies or tooling was used. The next thing is the post processing which
includes the removal of the polymer in the green part and thereafter carrying out the sintering process to make the part denser, Wu
et al. (2002).
For an open-source FDM machine, a new continuous tool-path methodology has been devised and for the production of
customized products automatically a new integrated tool has been designed. A customized silicone tracheal stent has been made
on FDM and it is observed that the manufactured part has good surface quality with reduction is cost and a good
overall fabrication efficiency, Melgoza et al. (2014). For industrial applications, a new methodology has been demonstrated and
validated .This methodology is a robust decision making tool used for selection of suitable tooling route, Pal and Ravi (2007).
Free form fabrication eliminates the need for specific tools thereby increasing the manufacturing flexibility. This can be
used for direct manufacturing or for making tools for parts, Cooper (2001). A new hybrid composite has been developed
which can be use directly for tooling purpose. One of the applications is the use of FDM as direct tooling is for injection molding
process, Masood et al. (2004). RT applications have certain drawbacks in the case of injection molding process. These include
accuracy of the mold, surface finish, and mold life. To identify the important features which could lead to improved machinability
with better quality and reduced cost, a CAD-based RT selection process has been developed and evaluated, Nagahanumaiah et al.
(2008).
4 Composite FDM Feedstock Filament
The FDM systems which are available in the market use patented material in their setup. Due to this the cost of the material is high
and has only certain specific applications. Research is going on so as to develop new feedstock material which will be lower in cost
and can have certain additional properties so that the same can be put to various other applications. The task of developing new
feedstock filament for FDM by using fillers like: Fe, Al, Al2O3, Cu, SiC, and ceramics is a challenging proposition without any
hardware and software modifications in the existing FDM machine, Novakova et al. (2012). The development of Fe–Nylon6
composite material having the MFI similar to the existing FDM material can be used in the FDM existing setup without any change
in hardware and software of the system. The developed composite will have ferromagnetic properties owing to substantial quantity
of Fe in the composite, Garg and Singh (2015a,b). The mixing of the constituent substances is very important as deficiency in
mixing leads to defects which cannot be corrected at a later stage, Seyi et al. (2001). Agglomeration can be caused by faulty mixing
which can further affect viscosity, bonding, and the mechanical strength.
For the compounding of metal blender equipment was used for the compounding of ceramics and metal powder into binder
system. The main process variables for the blender are the blade speed and temperature, Srinivasa et al. (2010). For preparing a
homogenous mixture of various constituents; tumbler mixture can be used, Masood and Song (2005). Piston extrusion and
extrusion through a screw extruder are the two ways by which the feedstock wire can be prepared, Seyi et al. (2001). For producing
the filaments in small quantities piston extrusion is used whereas the screw extruder is used for large volumes of filament which are
required in continuation. Single screw extruder is quite convenient and cost effective method to melt a polymer and pump it out,
Pan et al. (2012). Thermocouples are used to measure the temperatures at various locations of the screw extruder. The thermo-
couples record the temperatures as the material flows from the inlet to the outlet of the screw extruder thereby generating a
temperature profile, Chamil et al. (2011a,b). The design of the screw extruder depends on the type of material that is to be
processed in it. The pattern of melting depends on the operating parameters of the screw extruder and the geometry of the
machine. The geometry includes the depth of the channel and diameter of barrel.
The surface finish of the screw and the barrel also affects the quality of the extruded filament, Chamil et al. (2011a,b). The
operating temperatures of the screw extruder are of paramount importance as lower temperatures may lead to the jamming of the
material whereas higher temperatures lead to back pressures in the screw extruder, Garg and Singh (2015a,b). Researchers have
subjected the developed wires to different tests to check their suitability and applicability. The testing that has been carried out
includes rheological, mechanical, geometrical, and thermal testing. The flow rate at the processing conditions, relationship
between different structures of the reinforced polymer is depicted by rheological behavior, Wang et al. (2008). The material
processability, degradation of material, design of the process, and optimization can be judged by the melt viscosity of the
reinforced polymers, Shenoy et al. (1983). Melt flow behavior (MFB) of poly-e-caprolactane (PCL) have been investigated in
the melt flow channel of the FDM machine. This has been done by investigating the thermal behavior, velocity gradients, and the
pressure drop. The study is carried out through two modes namely the mathematical modeling and by using the finite element
analysis (FEA) technique. Key parameters that affect the MFB have been identified as the parameters of the FDM machine and the
physical properties like thermal conductivity, viscosity, specific heat, and shear thinning property, Ramanath et al. (2008). A new
composite material consisting of 10% iron filled in ABS polymer has been proposed and the 2D and 3D numerical analysis of melt
flow behavior of such matrix through the 901 bent tube liquefier head of FDM machine has been studied. Flow parameters like the
temperature, velocity, and the drop in pressure has been taken into account for investigation. The results that are obtained show a
good correlation in predicting the melt flow behavior, Nikzad et al. (2009).
Tensile tests have been carried out on a series of specimens prepared on FDM and secondly on the machined pieces from a large
block of FDM material. Analysis has been carried out to compare the two, Smith and Dean (2013). The effect of FDM parameters
on the flexural and impact strength of FDM made parts have been done, (Sood et al., 2010). The mechanical properties of
bioextruded PCL scaffolds have been studied by varying the process parameters like liquefier temperature, screw rotation speed,
and slice thickness. The influence of the above properties on the porosity and structure has been analyzed, Domingos et al. (2012).
The proportion of the filler material, shape, and size have a direct impact on the mechanical of the reinforced polymer composite
material, Masood et al. (2004), Nikzad et al. (2011), and Sa’ude et al. (2013a,b). The DMA serves as a useful tool to study the effect
of the loading of filler material on the mechanical properties like loss modulus and the storage modulus, Nikzad et al. (2011) and
Sa’ude et al. (2013a,b). Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), and thermal conductivity tests
are utilized to study the thermal behavior of polymer based composite material. It is seen that the thermal stability and the
thermal conductivity of the composite material increases with the increase in metallic fillers like iron and copper Masood et al.
(2004), see Luyt et al. (2006).
5 Case Study
Nylon6–Fe composite material was prepared for use on FDM machine without any hardware and software changes in the existing
setup. Parts were manufactured out of this composite and it is seen that the new composite material has properties similar to the
existing ABS material which makes it capable of flowing freely in the FDM machine. Moreover enhanced properties like wear
resistance have been achieved with the Nylon6–Fe composite.
5.1 Selection of Constituent Materials

Based on the literature survey, it was concluded that the research can be carried out by taking the constituent elements in such a
way that the developed composite can be put to some useful practical industrial applications. The constituent elements were taken
as Nylon6 (extrusion grade E-35) and Fe powder. Fe was chosen as one of the constituents as this element is magnetic in nature
and finds huge applications in the manufacturing industry. The composite of Nylon6–Fe will have ferromagnetic characteristics
and parts fabricated by this material can be subjected to nondestructive testing like MPI, which is not possible in the ABS parts
manufactured with FDM.
5.2 Establishment of Melt Flow Index

The proportion of these constituent elements has been decided in such a manner that the melt flow index (MFI) of the proposed
composite is similar to ABS material presently being put to use in FDM setup. Tests have been conducted by varying the
proportions of Fe and Nylon6 in the composite. The variation of MFI with the varying composition is shown in Figure 7.
Proportion of 60% Fe and 40% Nylon6 by weight was finally selected as this composition/proportion gave a MFI of
2.411 gm 10 min1 (equivalent to MFI of standard ABS material) as per ASTM standard (ASTM-D-1238–95). This felicitates the
flow of the FDM filament inside the head of the machine without any problem.
5.3 Preparation of the Composite Wire

The Nylon6 is the matrix in the composite which is in the granular form whereas the filler Fe is a powder of 300 mesh. The two are
mixed in the tray as per the desired proportion and are mixed manually. In this process the Fe powder adheres to the surface of the
matrix, thereafter the mixture is heated in an electric oven to a temperature of 160 1C for a period of 2 h. The entire mixture when
subjected to heat becomes free from the moisture and can be fed to the screw extruder for further processing. The details of the
screw extruder are shown in Table 1.
The mixture was fed into the hopper of the screw extruder where optimized parameters as given below are chosen based on the
design of experiments (DOE).
Barrel temperature ¼ 188 1C

Die temperature ¼ 204.49 1C
Screw speed ¼ 27 rpm
Speed of winding machine ¼ 9.08 rpm
Figure 7 Melt flow index vs. composition.
Table 1 Technical details of single screw extruder
Screw diameter (mm) L/D ratio No of heaters Screw speed (maximum rpm) Take up unit speed ( maximum rpm)
Barrel Die
25 26 3 1 40 40
Melt flow index ¼ 2.411 g 10 min1
The optimized parameters are chosen in such a way that the extruded wire has the properties like peak strength and percentage
elongation similar to that of ABS presently being used in the FDM setup. The extruded composite wire from the screw extruder is
wound on the spool (Figure 8) which is fitted on the FDM machine for the fabrication of parts.
5.4 Testing and Analysis

The composite wire is subjected to testing so as to ascertain its suitability for practical applications. The mechanical testing revealed
that the wire produced in the single screw extruder at the optimized parameters give peak strength of 42.379 MPa and percentage
elongation as 4.32%. Figure 9 shows the mechanical testing of the composite wire on universal testing machine (UTM).
After the wire has been fabricated, cylindrical pins of 10 mm diameter and 30 mm length were fabricated from the composite
filament and the same were subjected to wear analysis to check the wear characteristics of the new composite. It was seen that the
new composite material is highly wear resistant vis-a-vis the existing FDM ABS material. Figure 10 shows the cylindrical pin that
has been manufactured on the FDM without any hardware and software modifications. Wear testing was carried out for three
different compositions of the composite and comparison was made in terms of wear with the existing ABS material at a velocity of
0.63 m s1. The graphs shown in Figure 11 reveal that the new composite materials are highly wear resistant and can be used for
application where the wear of the tool is an important consideration. Tailor made applications such as grinding wheels for medical
applications can be made from the new composite material.
Figure 8 Composite wire wound on a spool.
Figure 9 Testing of wire on UTM.

Figure 10 Cylindrical pin.
Figure 11 Wear comparison of ABS and the composite.
The developed composite consists of substantial quantity (60% by weight) of Fe content. The presence of Fe in the composite is
capable of giving ferromagnetic properties to the composite and components made through this composite can be subjected to
nondestructive testing like magnetic particle inspection (MPI) which is not the case with ABS fabricated parts. Moreover the tools
made from this composite material can be used for friction welding of plastic components. Figure 12 shows the uniform
distribution of Fe (in blue) in the composite. Figure 13 shows Fe particle in the nylon binder and it is observed that there is proper
bonding at the interface with no air gaps between the binder and the filler. The Figure 14 depicts the homogeneity with which the
part is produced and the uniform presence of the Fe particles.
5.5 Process Capability

In any manufacturing segment, it is of utmost importance that the parts manufactured are within the defined tolerance limits and
is consistently giving the same dimensions so that the rejection rate is a minimum. Process capability study was conducted to
Fe particles
Figure 12 Iron particles in the matrix.
Figure 13 Single Fe particle in the matrix.
Figure 14 Surface morphology of the part.
compares the output responses of an in-control process with the specified limits. This is generally used to realize the capability of
the process by comparing the actual process spread with the allowable process spread and measured by process s (standard
deviation) levels. Higher is the s levels, better is the process performance. In this work, process capability was visualized through
the statistical measurements of Cp, Cpk, and PPM. X bar chart, R charts, and the IT grades have been added to supplement the
research work.
Cp ¼ ðUSL LSLÞ=6s
Table 2 Process capability indices and PPM
Cp 1.833
Cpk 1.022
PPMoLSL 1082.0
PPM4USL 0.0
PPM 1082.0
Mean dimension (mm)

5.1 Mean
5.05 Centre line
5 UCL
4.95
LCL
4.9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Sample
Figure 15 X bar chart for composite material made parts.
0.1
Range
0.08
Range (mm)
Centre line
0.06
0.04 LCL
0.02 UCL
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Sample
Figure 16 R chart for composite material made parts.
Cpk ¼ min½ðUSL mÞ=3s; ðm LSLÞ=3s

Where
USL ¼ Upper specification limit

LSL ¼ Lower specification limit
m¼ Mean deviation
s¼ Standard deviation
T¼ Target value
Parts of 20 15 5 mm have been manufactured on the FDM with the new composite material. Process capability indices and
defects in PPM have been calculated which have been summarized in Table 2 for dimension 15.
The value of Cp and Cpk41, which is an indication that the new composite material, can be used with accuracy instead of the
existing ABS material. The PPM indicates that the process gives a process capability greater than 4 sigma. The IT grades as per
IS 20886-I standards have been calculated and lie between IT8 to IT11. The X bar and R chart shown in Figure 15 and Figure 16
indicate that the manufactured part lies well within the control limits indicating the suitability of the composite to the FDM
process.
6 Conclusions
• The FDM machines and the FDM materials available in the market are patented. The number of materials used in FDM is
limited thereby limiting the use to some limited applications.
• The quality of products produced through FDM depends on the process variables like the layer thickness, slice height, raster
angle, width of the raster, tip diameter, width of the contour, contour depth, and the air gap. Optimization of these process
parameters is important so as to produce parts with the required properties, surface finish, and dimensional accuracy with
minimum cost.
• The build orientation is important so as to reduce the time and cost of manufacturing. Proper orientation of parts leads to
lower support structure which in turn leads to saving of material and reduction of fabrication time. The properties of the end
product are also dependent on the orientation of the component during manufacturing. Researchers have suggested ways and
means to reduce the support structure to the optimum levels.
• Literature survey has revealed that ways and means for improving the surface finish and dimensional accuracy has been
suggested by researchers. The variables which include nozzle diameter, adaptive slicing, and volumetric errors which have an
effect on the dimensional accuracy and surface finish have been discussed. New methods like hot machining has been proposed
for the improvement of the surface finish.
• To obtain parts having the right degree of porosity, the role of FDM has been brought to light. The role of FDM has also been
highlighted in the manufacture of complex shapes. Research has been carried out to find out suitable adhesives and bonding
material which are capable of binding the simple FDM parts to obtain complex shapes.
• The utility of FDM in the field of medicine has been projected and it is found to be a useful tool in a number of medical
applications. According to literature FDM can be of immense help in case of surgical operations. Tailor made human parts can
be fabricated as per the individual human body and can be used in the body if any replacement is required.
• FDM-based patterns made up of wax and ABS have been found to be quite useful in terms of saving time and money. Complex
geometries can be made using FDM and can be used further for the purpose of ICs. Research has shown that RP techniques can
be of immense utility in the casting processes.
• FDM is finding widespread use for the purpose of tooling. Tools developed directly from RP require very less time for
fabrication as compared to the conventional tools. Moreover cost involved in making tailor made tools as per requirement is
very minimal with RP. The tooling produced through FDM has a good degree of dimensional accuracy and operating efficiency
as indicated by the literature.
• To enhance the utility of FDM in different industrial applications and improve the properties of the FDM parts, the literature
reveals that work has been carried out by researchers in developing composite materials. These composites have been devel-
oped by adding fillers like copper, Iron, and glass fibers to ABS or other standard FDM materials. Along with the fillers other
additives like plasticizers, surfactants, tackifiers, and elastomers are added so as to obtain the required properties as desired for
the FDM filament. Research is on to develop new composite material has been developed which does not have any of the FDM
material as one of its constituents. The composite material developed from these constituents is capable of running in the FDM
setup without any changes in the hardware and software in the existing FDM setup.
• The fabrication of the filament is of paramount importance as the properties of the final filament depend on the ways and
means adopted for fabrication. This depends upon the mixing of the constituents properly in the tumbler mixer and in the proper
operation of the screw extruder at optimum parameters. Any deviation in this can lead to agglomeration, loss of viscosity, and
reduced strength. The design of the screw extruder is equally important for the fabrication of the feedstock filament.
• The development of the composite feedstock filament has been done in laboratories till date but commercialization of these
can be done after refinements in the near future. Newer composite materials which can be used directly in the FDM setup
without any hardware and software modifications having enhanced properties can be explored. Research work can be further
carried out to find out newer applications of the FDM composite materials.
• The mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties get modified with the addition of the fillers to the currently used FDM
materials or in the case of the new composite materials. It is concluded that the addition of metallic component, the above
properties are enhanced considerably. The change in these properties is also seen as the composition of the fillers is changed in
the composite. The properties of the composites can be made as per requirement/applications by varying the composition of
the constituents of the composite.
• The case study reveals that the developed Nylon6–Fe composite material is capable of running in the existing FDM setup
without any hardware and software modifications. It is also seen that the developed composite has enhanced properties as
compared to the existing ABS thereby increasing the domain of application of the Nylon6–Fe composite material.
• The case study reveals that the composite of Nylon6–Fe is highly wear resistant as compared to ABS and can be used for
applications like grinding for medical purposes.
• The morphology presented shows that there is uniform distribution of Fe in the composite. As Fe has got a substantial
proportion of 60% by weight which makes it suitable in applications where ferromagnetic characteristics of any material can be
used for practical purposes. Nondestructive testing of parts made from the composite can be carried out which is not the case
with the existing feedstock material. Moreover the tools made from this composite material can be used for friction welding of
plastic components.
• Parts manufactured with the newly developed composite have found to have good dimensional accuracy as indicated by the IT
grades. The process capability indices and the PPM indicate that the composite material is capable of running in the FDM setup
within the tolerance range as defined by DIN16901 standards. The suitability of the process for the composite is further
strengthened by the control charts where all the measured dimensions are well within the control limits.
Acknowledgment
The authors are highly thankful to PTU Kapurthala and Manufacturing Research Lab, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College,
Ludhiana for providing their research facilities to carry out the research work.
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Further Reading
Ransbeech, P.V., Verdonck, P., 2013. Manufacturing of patient-specific optically accessible airway models by fused deposition modelling. Rapid Prototyping Journal 19 (5),
312–318.

Fused Deposition Modeling - A State of Art Review and Future Applications

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2 Fused Deposition Modeling

Reference Module in Materials Science and Materials Engineering doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-803581-8.04037-6 1

Figure 1 Flow diagram for RP process.

Figure 2 Schematic of FDM, Garg and Singh (2011).

2.1 Process Variables in FDM

Figure 3 Processing output parameter for FDM.

2.2 FDM Materials

3.2 Rapid Casting

Figure 4 Hip joint model (Mahajan, 2013).

Figure 5 STL ﬁle of a human skull.

3.3 Rapid Tooling

4 Composite FDM Feedstock Filament

5.1 Selection of Constituent Materials

5.2 Establishment of Melt Flow Index

5.3 Preparation of the Composite Wire

Barrel temperature ¼ 188 1C

Figure 7 Melt ﬂow index vs. composition.

Table 1 Technical details of single screw extruder

Melt ﬂow index ¼ 2.411 g 10 min1

5.4 Testing and Analysis

Figure 8 Composite wire wound on a spool.

Figure 9 Testing of wire on UTM.

Figure 10 Cylindrical pin.

Figure 11 Wear comparison of ABS and the composite.

5.5 Process Capability

Figure 12 Iron particles in the matrix.

Figure 13 Single Fe particle in the matrix.

Figure 14 Surface morphology of the part.

Table 2 Process capability indices and PPM

Mean dimension (mm)

Cpk ¼ min½ðUSL mÞ=3s; ðm LSLÞ=3s

USL ¼ Upper speciﬁcation limit

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