Arno Ferreira

Citation

Thesis Title
Comprehensive Investigation of Mechanical Properties of Fused Deposition Modelling

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Understanding the mechanical properties of additive manufacturing (AM) parts is vital as technology moves toward the manufacture of end use parts and products. To further the pursuit of a reliable quality assurance strategy in 3D printing, Mr Ferreira completed a comprehensive investigation of mechanical properties of fused deposition modelling (FDM). His research saw the open-sourcing and retrofitting of a commercial FDM printer to create a reliable research machine having the quality of a commercial printer, and full print parameter control seen in open source hobbyist machines. The conducted temporal study investigated a newly identified variable, printer age, and was proven to have a significant influence on the mechanical properties of FDM parts. Mr Ferreira's research adds another important factor for consideration during the design of parts for manufacture by 3D printing methods, and advances current knowledge for achieving a method of ensuring quality and consistency of AM parts.

Supervisors
Professor Johan Potgieter
Associate Professor Khalid Arif
Dr Steven Dirven