Research on the Factors Influencing the Tensile Strength of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Parts

Abstract

With the rapid advancement of additive manufacturing technology, fused deposition modeling (FDM) has emerged as a key technology in industrial manufacturing, medical customization, and education innovation. Its advantages include design flexibility, enhanced creativity, high automation, reduced labor intensity, improved safety and efficiency, lower labor costs, unmanned printing, high material utilization, intelligent operation and maintenance, as well as environmental sustainability and pollution-free production [1]. By 2022, the global FDM equipment market had surpassed 17 billion dollars [2]. This process builds objects by depositing material layer by layer to form products with diverse geometries, finding extensive applications in industries such as automotive, aerospace, and biomechanics [3]. It is also widely employed in research, particularly in the study of materials. Fused Deposition Modeling, also referred to as fused filament fabrication, is one of the most prevalent additive manufacturing techniques in 3D printing. The core principle involves heating thermoplastic materials to a molten state and extruding them in a controlled manner to construct parts layer by layer [4]. However, FDM still faces challenges, including insufficient tensile strength in components for ultra-high-rise structures and high costs in medical and educational applications. Therefore, enhancing the tensile strength of FDM-printed parts is of critical importance [5]. This study proposes an experimental approach to investigate the influencing factors, though the actual experiments were not conducted due to equipment limitations. This project aims to investigate the effects of deposition angle, material properties, nozzle diameter, and infill pattern on the tensile strength of the fabricated parts in fused deposition modeling.