Vapour treatment to improve surface quality of fused deposition modeling products

使用丙烯腈-丁二烯-苯乙烯（ABS）、聚乳酸（PLA）等材料的熔融沉积建模（FDM）；由于其较低的材料成本，已成为增材制造领域的一种流行技术。然而，由于阶梯效应和材料局部凝固过程中不均匀的相变导致表面质量差，因此需要在制造后进行精加工，以提高表面粗糙度和美观性。Cimetrix Solutions Inc.利用最近开发的FDM后处理技术，使用Stratasys的系统，即finish Touch Smoothing Station (FTSS)，对FDM产品进行表面处理。该技术是基于FDM产品的蒸汽处理，以提高其表面质量和完整性。精加工平滑站抛光FDM零件接近注塑质量，最少的操作员干预。这种自动化精加工系统扩展了3D打印定制零件的可能性，并与一系列FDM热塑性塑料一起工作，包括ABSi， ABS-M30, ABS-M30i， ABSplus和ASA。本研究的目的是通过实验建立一个模型，代表二甲基酮（丙酮）为基础的蒸汽对增材制造工艺在FTS过程中制造的ABS产品的影响。该模型是优化蒸汽处理工艺所必需的。该项目的目标是找到一组最佳的精加工参数，以达到最佳的表面粗糙度，而不会导致偏离产品的几何和尺寸公差规格。制造商和客户非常希望预测蒸汽处理后最终产品的表面完整性。该项目的结果将用于优化

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.