Effect of raster inclinations and part positions on mechanical properties, surface roughness and manufacturing price of printed parts produced by fused deposition method

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology has the ability to produce parts or products using data from 3D CAD models based on adding material. Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is among the most popular AM technologies wherein the plastic materials like acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene filaments get added in the form of semi-molten plastic layers from bottom to top to produce the final product. Besides, the merits of using the FDM process, it faces challenges related to strength, dimensional accuracy, surface finish, and so on. The mechanical, tribological, and surface finish of functional parts is an essential consideration in FDM. In this work, the role of process parameters such as the part positions and raster inclinations involved in the manufacturing of parts by FDM has been evaluated experimentally to obtain the desired properties for reducing production time, the quantity of supporting material, and overall cost including maintenance costs. The study revealed that part position is a more significant parameter than the raster inclinations on the surface roughness and mechanical properties of the FDM parts. It also concludes with the proper values of part positions and raster inclinations for achieving optimal mechanical properties, roughness, and manufacturing costs to withstand operating loading conditions.