To study the effect of process parameters on dimensional accuracy in 3d printing process for pla parts

3D Printing is a layered manufacturing process that builds prototypes by depositing material in layered form using heaters. Prototypes made by 3D Printing are widely used in product development as they can be used for product testing. Dimensional accuracy is a major requirement in 3D printing for application. The material gets solidified during the layer deposition and this change from semi solid-to-solid leads to shrinkage, resulting in shape inaccuracy. This paper attempts to study the effect of process parameters, namely Layer Thickness, Nozzle Diameter, Length, and Part Bed Temperature, on dimensional accuracy. Single variable experiments have been performed to understand the significance of process variables affecting dimensional accuracy. Second order quadric model of response surface methodology was used to reduce the no of experiments. Main effect plots have been drawn for length, width and height to study the effect of process parameters. It has been observed that for shrinkage along the length, length of part, layer thickness and nozzle diameter significantly affects the shrinkage. The shrinkage decreases with increase in layer thickness. Shrinkage increases with an increase in length of the parts. Shrinkage increases with increase in nozzle diameter.