Towards the democratisation of design: a generalised capability model for FDM

The manufacture of parts via fused deposition modelling (FDM) is inhibited by a lack of understanding of the manufacturing process, resulting in parts having unreliable mechanical properties. Correspondingly, this paper considers the incorporation of capability profiles (CPs) for FDM as a solution. The evolved requirements of CPs for FDM are considered and the necessary process information that would be incorporated within them is presented. A review of existing literature of the effect of process parameters on mechanical properties of FDM parts identifies process variability and the effects of shape and scale as areas insufficiently studied. To address this, tensile tests are conducted revealing: 1) variation (26%) in identical test specimens' UTS; 2) that properties do not scale linearly with specimen size; 3) that cross-sectional shape directly impacts mechanical performance. These results are used to define the parameters required for a capability profile for FDM and subsequently demonstrate its functionality.