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FEATURE


3D PRINTING/ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING


Nirup Nagabandi, Ph.D., vice president of Materials and


Process Engineering,


Essentium, delves into design principles


tailored to High-Speed Extrusion (HSE), facilitating faster print times without


compromising quality or repeatability


Redefining design


appRoaches foR high-speed extRusion 3d pRinting


A


dditive Manufacturing (AM) has firmly established itself as the present and future of manufacturing, and continues


to transform how parts and tools are manufactured at scale. When 3D printing was first introduced,


it was not a feasible option for production manufacturing at scale due to a lack of materials, slow print speeds, high costs, and quality requirements. However, with the latest advancements in high-performance printing machines, design software, and certified materials, manufacturers can now generate production floor-ready parts at scale quickly and more cost-effectively without compromise – even in the most demanding industrial environments. In a recent survey, the majority (89%) of


manufacturing executives and team managers stated they increased the printing of production parts, and all (100%) said they had gained financial benefits from 3D printing, including cost savings, increased revenue, or both. AM is a proven technology that is reshaping


product creation across industries – from customised medical implants to aerospace parts, AM offers a versatile solution that transcends various sectors. Manufacturers are now embracing this transformative technology for large-scale production, introducing flexibility and dramatically accelerating design and production cycles, ultimately fuelling innovation. However, one prevailing misconception is that


AM can replicate any part designed for traditional manufacturing processes. As with any manufacturing method, achieving success with


4 design soLutions FEBRUARY 2024 0


AM hinges on designing specifically for the 3D printing process. Engineers must adopt new design principles to optimise a part’s functionality while economising on materials, time and costs. Achieving design freedom does not grant a license to sub-optimal parts. AM can still easily manufacture sub-optimally designed parts, but these designs will not gain the economic advantage needed at production scale. While a plethora of design tips and techniques


for AM are readily available, not all apply to filament printing for High-Speed Extrusion (HSE), a unique process. So what are the design principles tailored to HSE? As a general rule of thumb, most design rules for filament printing will still apply for HSE, with extra emphasis on the below.


Steer Clear of Sharp CornerS


In the world of High-Speed Extrusion printing, the behaviour of the toolhead as it navigates corners or changes direction in the XY plane is of


the utmost importance. The objective in design is to strategically modify corners to enable the toolhead to maintain maximum speed. When creating parts for High-Speed Extrusion, adding fillets (rounding corners) incurs no additional time or expense. The rule of thumb here is to ensure the fillet radius is greater than or equal to 5mm, all while utilising high-resolution STL files during the design phase. This ensures the toolhead’s swift movement while preserving geometric precision. Current-day software on the machine or the slicing engine embeds the arc function to combat poorly made STLs. However, getting the right mesh size is essential if you want control. The rationale behind this approach is simple:


corners sharper than this necessitate the printer to decelerate and then accelerate, akin to a car slowing down on a bend. A recent case exemplifies the impact – a fixture saved 15% in print time by incorporating fillets, reducing a one hour 45-minute print job. By evading sharp


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