Influence of the Layer Time on the Resulting Part Properties in the Fused Deposition Modeling Process

The Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process by Stratasys is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique that can be used to produce complex thermoplastic parts without the need of a forming tool. A big challenge of this process is that there are several influencing factors with unknown effect on the resulting part properties. One of these factors is the layer time. The aim of this study is to examine the influence of the layer time on the resulting dimensional accuracy and mechanical properties of FDM components manufactured with the amorphous polymer ABS-M30. For this purpose a special job layout was designed to vary the layer time within a certain range. The investigations in this paper show a significant influence on the dimensional accuracy and also on the mechanical properties.