Implementation and evaluation of curved layer fused deposition modeling

Abstract

Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) is an extrusion based additive manufactur- ing (AM) process in which thermoplastic material is extruded through a nozzle. The nozzle deposits material along a two-dimensional path to create a layer. Suc- cessive layers are stacked together to create a three-dimensional object. Although initially developed for rapid prototyping, advances in FDM technology have rapidly increased the breadth of application. However, the FDM process has inherit disad- vantages such as poor surface nish (commonly referred to as stair stepping), severe anisotropic mechanical properties, and increased build time for higher resolution parts. All of which are a result of the layer by layer manufacturing process. To remedy these issues, Curved Layer Fused Deposition Modeling (CLFDM) o ers a new building paradigm for FDM, where material is deposited in curved, non-planar, layers. The purpose of this paper is to implement a curved layer toolpath genera- tion algorithm and quantify the bene ts that curved layered methodology has over traditional planar layers.