Vapour treatment to improve surface quality of fused deposition modeling products

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Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) using material such as Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), Polylactic Acid (PLA) etc.; has emerged as a popular technique in Additive Manufacturing because of its lower material cost. However, poor surface quality due the staircase effect and the non-homogeneous phase changes during localized solidification of the material has driven the necessity of after fabrication finishing operations with a goal of improving surface roughness and aesthetic appearance. Cimetrix Solutions Inc. utilizes a recently developed FDM post-processing technology for the surface finish of the FDM products using the Stratasys's System, Finishing Touch Smoothing Station (FTSS). This technology is based on the vapour treatment of the FDM Products to improve their surface quality and integrity. The Finishing Touch Smoothing Station polishes FDM parts to near injection-moulded quality with minimal operator intervention. This automated finishing system expands possibilities for 3D printed custom parts and works with a range of FDM thermoplastics including ABSi, ABS-M30, ABS-M30i, ABSplus and ASA. The objective of this research is to experimentally develop a model representing the effect of Dimethylketone (Acetone)-based vapour on ABS products fabricated by additive manufacturing process during FTS. This model is necessary to optimize the vapour treatment process. The objective of the project is to find the optimum set of the finishing parameters to achieve the best possible surface roughness without causing deviation from the geometric and dimensional tolerance specifications of the product. It is highly desired by the manufacturer and the customers to predict the surface integrity of the final product after the vapour treatment. The results of this project will be used to optimize the parameters of the vapour treatment process and also to predict the quality of the final product.