Process window identification for 3D printing low melting point alloy (LMPA) using fused deposition modelling (FDM)
ISSN: 1355-2546
Article publication date: 28 June 2022
Issue publication date: 14 October 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Fused deposition modelling (FDM) has gained popularity owing to its capability of producing complex and customized profiles at relatively low cost and in shorter periods. The study aims to extend the use of FDM printers for 3D printing of low melting point alloy (LMPA), which has applications in the electronics industry, rapid tooling, biomedical, etc.
Design/methodology/approach
Solder is the LMPA with alloy’s melting temperature (around 200°C) lower than the parent metals. The most common composition of the solder, which is widely used, is tin and lead. However, lead is a hazardous material having environmental and health deteriorating effects. Therefore, lead-free Sn89Bi10Cu non-eutectic alloy in the form of filament was used. The step-by-step method has been used to identify the process window for temperature, print speed, filament length (E) and layer height. The existing FDM printer was customized for the present work.
Findings
Analysis of infrared images has been done to understand discontinuity at a certain range of process parameters. The effect of printing parameters on inter-bonding, width and thickness of the layers has also been studied. The microstructure of the parent material and deposited bead has been observed. Conclusions were drawn out based on the results, and the scope for the future has been pointed out.
Originality/value
The experiments resulted in the process window identification of print speed, extrusion temperature, filament length and layer height of Sn89Bi10Cu which is not done previously.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Author’s Contribution: Mr Rishi conducted literature review of the articles based on existing materials used in FDM. He also carried out experiments and presented them through tables and figures with all the relevant explanations in the manuscript. Dr Prateek has contributed in planning experimentation and analyzing IR images. He reviewed the initial drafts to bring the manuscript to its current form.
The authors are thankful to the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) – India for funding the project. The authors are also thankful to the Central Workshop, BITS-Pilani, Pilani Campus, for providing the FLIR T250 thermal camera, which has been used in this study.
Funding: The work was supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) (Grant No. CRG/2019/001320).
Disclosure Statement: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Ethical statement: The authors ensure the originality of the article, and it is not submitted to any other journal.
Citation
Parvanda, R. and Kala, P. (2022), "Process window identification for 3D printing low melting point alloy (LMPA) using fused deposition modelling (FDM)", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 28 No. 10, pp. 2043-2056. https://doi.org/10.1108/RPJ-04-2022-0103
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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