Development of rapid leveling pin-type setting tool for fused deposition modelling desktop 3D printer

Abstract

As a newly developed system, Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printers have been experiencing various kinds of failures. Several common failures that have been identified in particular are warping, stringing, gaps in the top layers, under-extrusion, over-extrusion, pillowing, layer misalignment, and elephant foot. Some of these printing failures were caused by the improper levelling of the heated beds, which resulted in time and materials waste. Along with the rise of the open-source FDM 3D printer, many low-cost printer systems are now available widely in the market. The low-cost facet of these printers makes it possible for everyone to own one of these machines at home but simultaneously, leading to an issue where users face difficulties in reaching the appropriate levelling of the heated bed. The utilisation of tiny screw adjusters as the main instrument to level 3D printer’s heated beds has been contributing to the levelling errors and setup difficulties. The literature review was conducted by reviewing over 300 research articles and discussions related to the FDM 3D printers, and it was found that only a few research, if any, have been conducted on the topic of heated bed levelling problems. Printer users often convey the difficulties in levelling the heated bed in online discussions and forums, but with fewer solutions reached. This research was conducted to overcome the problem of levelling the FDM type 3D printer’s heated bed by developing a new tool or system to replace the current screw adjuster system by deploying TRIZ inventive problem-solving. The TRIZ solutions offered several concepts that can be used in designing the new tool. The best newly developed tools were then selected using Pugh’s Selection Method and fabricated to perform some experiments that could be validated using a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). The measurement results were compared to the results of other levelling methods before being implemented in the actual FDM 3D printer system. The current research delivered a new tool that is capable of achieving better levelling results compared to other manual levelling methods. The fabrication of the new tool does not require special machinery, hence making it possible to manufacture it at a reasonable cost for mass production. Furthermore, the new tool should also be applicable for almost all types of FDM 3D printers without the requirement of further modifications. The KPM’s Simplified Patent Search Report indicated the possibility of obtaining an intellectual property right and commercialisation for the new tool. This research was aimed for the development of the low-cost devices; thus, no high-tech approach was covered. Thereby, the future works can be focused on the creation of the more compact and automated version of this tool.