Development of Two-Dimensional Thermal Analysis Code for the Analysis of 3D Printed PLA Parts

Abstract

Fused Deposition Modelling is one of the main 3D printing methods to manufacture plastic parts. The strength of the printed part by FDM is dependent on polymer diffusion between printed layers. The polymer diffusion between two neighboring layers occur not only during the extrusion of the hot top layer, but also during the production of consecutive layers due to thermal conduction. The heat diffusion from upper layers enhances the curing of polymers, which consequently affects the strength of the part. Therefore, the history of the temperature variations - curing time and curing temperature - should be analyzed to predict the strength of the part. The goal of this study is to develop a two-dimensional transient thermal analysis solver for the investigation of time-dependent thermal changes during the printing process. This solver is developed with the use of finite difference method employed under implicit scheme. The transient temperature pattern is qualitatively compatible to the experimental results in literature. The solver can be utilized for further thermal analyses to correlate temperature, polymer diffusion and strength with the inclusion of deposition path in the third dimension.