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1.1. Introduction to 3d printing:

3D printing called as desktop fabrication. It is a rapid prototyping process whereby a
real object can be created from a 3D design. A 3D printer machine uses a CAD model for rapid
prototyping process.
3D printing is called as desktop fabrication which is a process of prototyping where by
a structure is synthesized from its 3d model. The 3d design is stored in as a STL format! and
after that forwarded to the 3D printer. It can use a wide range of materials such as ABS, PLA,
and composites as well.3D printing is one kind of rapidly developing and cost optimized form
which is used for rapid prototyping. The 3D printer prints the CAD design layer by layer
forming a# real object. 3D printing process is derived from inkjet desktop printers in which
multiple deposit jets and the printing material, layer by layer derived from the CAD 3D data.3D
printing is diversifying and accelerating our life, letting various qualities of products to be
synthesized easier and faster. Three-dimensional (3D) printing has the ability to impact the
transmission of information in ways similar to the influence of such earlier technologies as
photocopying. This identifies sources of information on 3D printing, its technology, required
software and applications. Along 3D printing, companies are able to extract and innovate new
ideologies and various design replications with no time or tool expense. 3D printing possibly
challenges mass production processes in future. 3D printing influences many industries, such
as automotive, architecture, education, medical, business and consumer industries.
1.2. Evolution of 3d printing technology:

Fig. No :1 - Evolution of additive manufacturing

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1.3. Different types of 3d printing technologies:

There are several ways of 3D printing, differing various ways the layers are built to create the
final object. Few basic and common methods are illustrated as follows.
 Fused Filament Fabrication/ Fused Deposition Modelling (FFF/FDM)
 Stereolithography
 Selective laser sintering
 Digital Light Processing (DLP)

1.3.1. Fused Filament Fabrication/ Fused Deposition Modelling:

This is the most common and very low-cost method of 3D printing. This method usually
consists of an extruder which extrudes the raw material on to a surface whilst the
extruder or the surface moving in 3 axis linear motions which are driven by the stepper
or servo motors.

Fig. 2 - FDM processing block diagram

The raw materials most commonly used in prototyping are Thermoplasty like PLA (Poly Lactic
Acid), ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and Wood material, fluorescence filaments, T-
Glass, etc. Depending upon the raw material the temperature of the extruder and the surface
are defined. For the complex structures where additional supports are required, the filaments
like Hips, or PSA which are water soluble can be utilized. This requires post processing of
removing the support material manually. Depending upon the application one can also choose
the no. of extruders required so that two or more filaments can be printed in the same cycle.

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1.3.2. Stereolithography (SLA):

It is also known as Photo-solidification or solid free-form fabrication. The process works by
solidifying a Liquid photo-polymer resin by projecting Ultra-violet light rays into the resin
while the resin container moving slowly downwards making new layers of solidified resin
above each other until, the object is completely built.

Fig. No: 3- SLA processing block diagram

In comparison with FFF method, this method of 3D printing is very fast, high resolution and
very expensive. This method also requires lot of Post processing like cleaning the liquid resin
over the solidified one, detaching the support structures, etc.
1.3.3. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS):

Fig. No :4 - SLS processing block diagram

SLS involves the use of a high-power laser to fuse small particles of plastic, metal, ceramic, or
glass powders into a mass that has a desired three-dimensional shape. The laser selectively
fuses powdered material by scanning cross-sections generated from a 3-D digital description
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(for example, from a CAD file or scan data) on the surface of a powder bed. After each cross-
section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness, a new layer of material
is applied on top, and the process is repeated until the part is completed. Unlike FDM and
SLA, SLS doesn’t require the support structures due to the fact the part is constructed
surrounding with the un-sintered powder all the time.

1.4. Application of 3D Printer:

3-D printing was originally developed for rapid prototyping purposes, making less
complicated physical samples. It allowed designers to identify and rectify design flaws
quickly and cheaply, thereby speeding up the product development process and minimizing
commercial risks. Here are some applications of a 3D printer described below:
Aerospace and Automotive sector
With the help of 3-D-printed components which are used for aircrafts and parts are 70% less
weighing but identically tough as conventional parts, indicating cost reduction and carbon
reduction and emissions of unwanted particle. It uses less raw constituents and manufactures
parts which are less weight, complicated but possess more strength.
Medicine
Medical sector is one of the most promising areas of usage. It is being applied to face many
medical situations, and develop medical research, also combining the field of “regenerative
medicine”. In 2012, using a 3-D printer, engineers and doctors at Hasselt successfully
experimented the very first patient-specific instrument of prosthetic jaw transplant.
Rapid manufacturing:
Advancements in Rapid Prototyping have presented materials those are necessary for final
manufacturing, leading to the possibility of manufactured finished components and parts.
Mass customization:
Many industries have provided services where people can recreate their desirables
implementing simple web-based customizing software. This now enables customers to
replicate cases of their mobiles. Nokia has displayed the 3D designs of their mobiles so that
owners will be able to recreate their own phone case.

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1.5 Specification Of 3D Printer

Printing Size 220*220*250mm

Printing Speed <180mm/s, Normal 30-60mm/s
Precision +0.1mm
Nozzle Diameter Standard 0.4mm
Nozzle Temp. <250°C
Nozzle Number 1
Bed Temp. <100°C
Slice Software Cura
Power Supply Input: AC115/250V 50/60HZ Output: DC 24V
Total Power 270W
Filament 1.75mm PLA

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2.1 Literature Review

The beginning of 3D printing is related to studies of photography, sculpting, and Landscape
design, which took place in America. Much of the technology was not being developed until
the mid-1980s. During this period, 3D printing was known as “RAPIDPROTOTYPING”.
Chuck Hull, of 3D Systems Corporation, manufactured the first usable 3D printer. Later in the
80’s, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technology was synthesized by Dr. Deckard at the
University of Texas during the commencement of project being done by Defence Advanced
Research Projects Agency. In the 1990s, the technology was further improvised with the
advancement of a method that uses UV light to solidify photopolymer, a highly viscous liquid
material. In the 20th century, 3D printers were very expensive and were used to print a few
numbers of products. Most of the printers were owned by scientists and electronics groupies
for research and display. However, advancements in the area of 3D printing have allowed for
the design of products to no longer be limited by complex shapes or colours.

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3.1. X, Y, Z LINEAR MOTIONS

The structure of the machine is very important aspect in keeping the product reliable for long
time. The structure must also be able to avoid vibration during the processing. In order to avoid
vibrations, the machine should be taken care while designing the X, Y and Z linear motions
and a build plate with or without a heat bed.
In order to design the Mechanical structure and test out the linear motions, a CAD modelling
software which has the abilities to ‘3D model’ and do ‘motion analysis’ is chosen.

3.1.1. X and Y linear motion:

The X and Y linear motions in FDM machines can be achieved in various ways. Different ways of
X, Y linear motions are shown below.
Cartesian Method:

Fig. No: 5- X and Y linear motion model in 3D design

In Cartesian method, there will be two smooth rods on both the corners of the machine in
parallel to each other. These smooth rods will be passing through a linear bearing block. This
achieves the Y motion. Connecting both the linear bearings, there will be another pair of
smooth rods in perpendicular to the cornered ones. This pair of rods are helpful in achieving
the X motion. On this pair the extruder set can be made to sit such that it achieves X and Y
motions.

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Fig 6 :-linear bearing block

The blocks consist of the linear bearing. And the block is the cover around the bearing which
has a mounting provision.

2. Core X Y mechanism (H bot mechanism):

Fig. No: 7 - Core XY mechanism sketch

The core XY mechanism have a set of roller bearings on a surface plane which are indicated
as circles in the above picture.
The red and the blue lines are the timing belt which is a single loop one or can have the ends
of the belt fixed to the extruder set i.e., the bigger block in the Centre of the above picture.
This stepper motors in right and left corners below drive the belt and as the belt is fixed to the
block, so do the block move along with it.
This design of X Y motion is very compact and less troublesome. The response time and the
control system of the mechanism is very affective and easy to implement.

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Fig. No: 8 - Core XY mechanism prototype

The above picture fig 3.4 is a designed model in cad software where the linear motions are
also tested out. The design is made in such a way that the extruder block moves upto the
desired distances.
3.1.2. The Z axis linear motion:
In general, the Z axis linear motion carries the print surface with or without the heat bed
platform, although it is not mandatory to have it moving in Z axis. In few printers the
extruder set is also able to move in the Z axis making the print surface still.

Fig. No: 9 - Z axis motor and its incorporation method in the machine

The Z axis consists of a stepper motor with an extended lead screw as a shaft. It will also
have a flange nut which have to be fixed on to the object which has to move in this particular
direction. The smooth rods beside the Z motor can be helpful in making the motion
frictionless and holds to the axis rigidly without any ply or jerking properties.

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3.2. Electronic Components

To complete the machine electronic components are necessary to enable the movements, enable
the filament to get extruded, run the G-Code, enabling the USB cable or wireless connectivity,
power supply, stepper motor drivers, heat bed control on the build surface, etc. A detailed list
of electronic components is listed below along with the pictures.

3.3.1. Microcontroller Board:

The microcontroller board is the mother board of the machine which runs the program or G-
codes, events by events, monitors the temperature of the extruder and heat bed, and drives the
stepper motors through step sticks. Thanks to the open-source Hardware which made the job
so easy to have a mother board which enables all the features on single board. This board has
on board pins including the power supply pins, stepper motor driver circuits along with
potentiometers to calibrate the motors, Thermistor, fan on/off pins, heater pins which drag the
high current.

 It requires 12v supply to power up and can withstand upto 20A of current.
 It has a Type-C micro-USB female pin on board which enable the connectivity with all
the computers which are USB supportable
 It has on board potentiometers which helps in calibrating the motors current drawing
range. This helps in smoothening the motion of the stepper motors and increase its life
time.
 It has on board pins for the end stops. These pins enable the feedback signals of the
motors if they moved to the least significant position.

Fig. No: 10 – Microcontroller Board

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3.3.2. Stepper motors:

Stepper motors move a known interval for each pulse of power. These pulses of power
are provided by a stepper motor driver and is referred to as a step. In this project NEMA
17 stepper motors are used.

Fig. No: 11 – Stepper Motor

3.3.3. Extruder set

There are plenty of extruder sets available in the market. (For a beginner, even the
medical syringe can also be used as an extruder). Putting a little effort in testing out the
various ranges of extruder sets, we have chosen the Budasch nozzle.
The specification of this extruder is very similar to other extruders but this one have a
more advantages over others and are as listed below:
 The budasch nozzle has a mounting plate which makes easy to mount on a plane
surface.
 Most of the extruder set requires cooling fans to control the temperature in order to
rescue the filament from overheating and clogging inside. But, in this nozzle the
filament flow is smooth due to the conceptualized heat sink which absorbs the heat
accurately and allows the filament to melt but not clog.
 This Nozzle has an inbuilt thermistor sensor which helps in giving the mother board the
temperature of the nozzle in real time.
 The nozzle can heat up to 240-250 °C.
 It is easily detachable and easy to dissemble part-by-part to trouble shoot in case the
filament is blocked.
 It is made of Aluminium heat sink, nozzle tip. Inside the guide way nozzle is fixed with
the Teflon tube which can withstand upto 500 °C and provides a very smooth filament
flow.
 The tip of the nozzle comes with 0.4mm and 0.3mm. One can easily change the tips
whenever required.

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Fig. No :12 - Extruder

3.3.4. Heat bed on the print surface

It is not mandatory to have a heat bed on the print surface unless we want ABS kind of
material to be printed on it. The heat bed is a metal plate which have polyamide film or
aluminium clad pathed for the current to pass through. It also has a thermocouple to
detect the live temperature and give the feedback signal to motherboard.

Fig. No:13 – Heat Bed

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3.3.5. End stops:

There are many kinds of end stops starting from a normal button type to the optical
which are completely digital. For the best reasons of saving costs on such small things,
we have chosen the medium size mechanical limit switch which prevents the motor to
go beyond the coordinates.

Fig.14 limit switch

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4.1 Steps involved in making of FDM 3D printing machine

Step 1: X, Y and Z linear motions are designed including the core xy mechanism and build
plate mechanism on the Z axis.
Step 2: Choosing of the Electronics stuff required. The Motherboard, power supply, extruder,
limit switches, temperature sensors.
Step 3: Getting the mechanical designs laser cut.
Step 4: Assembling of the machine mechanical designs with the electronics.
Step 5: Integrating electronics with the mechanical motions.
Step 6: Testing the motions of X, Y and Z axis with end stops as sensors.
Step 7: Start a sample print through the Cura or Pronterface Interface.
Step 8: Troubleshoot the machine by following few procedures until the print quality turns to
be good.
Step 9: Ensure the machine assembly and print quality is good enough.

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4.2. Assembly of 3d Printer

The assembly of the machine includes the fixing of the Core XY mechanism, build plate as Z
axis mechanism on the chassis i.e. the Down sheet, Right sheet, left sheet, Rear sheet and Front
sheet. The Assembled view of the Assembly in the CAD software gives the brief idea of
assembling steps.

Fig. No :15 – CAD Model of 3D Printer Assembly

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5.1 Working Principle of FDM 3d Printer

In this process the thermoplastics; which constitute ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), wax
and nylon were utilized. The introductory venture of the FDM procedure were to warmth up
the thermoplastic constituent until it is at an intertwined state. Then, the 3D printer uses
advanced demonstrating information.
From a CAD record to create the 3D item layer by layer,
The printers join a much weaker bolster composite. The bolster material goes about as
framework to the test item. This is valuable amid the building procedure when parts have
overhangs that could not bolster it. The thermoplastic for the most part has a filamentous
structure which benefits warmth exchange and serves to move with a print head that navigates
in the x and y bearings. After every layer is printed, a cylinder navigates the stage beneath (z-
hub) the separation of thickness of printed layer. There are numerous benefits of FDM
innovation; it is anything but difficult to control, use, and fix. The expense of the machine and
material are generally low.
Generally, work by extruding the raw material through an extruder in a thin form of layer by
layer in the desired shape till it fulfils the CAD model and complete the object. The X, Y, Z
linear motions are driven by three independent stepper motors or servo motors. These linear
motions make either the extruder to move or the surface to move or both moving
simultaneously.
The linear motions are very precisely controlled with the help of motor driver circuits which
are instructed by a micro controller.

3D printing with FDM comprises of few easy steps:

 Select the 3D model
 Slice the object in the software
 Save the file in. STL or G-Code format
 Feed the saved file to micro controller board
 Wait till the object is printed completely

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Fig. No :16 -3D Printer

Fig. No:17 - Select the 3d model and slice the object in the 3D Printing.

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Fig. No:18 – Start Printing

Fig. No :19 – Layer by layer object printing

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Fig. No :20 - A solid object is printed

5.2 Software’s for 3D Printing

Fig No:21 -Software’s for 3D designing and printing

Design software’s:
✦ 123D Design
✦ Sketchup
✦ Sweet home 3D
✦ Mesh mixer
✦ Style builder
There are tons of software’s in the internet related to 3D printing, handpicked some of the best
ones. Beginning with 123D design, Sketchup for designing, lots of tutorials are available in the
internet which will helpful to get started within few hours of trying out those. Sweet home 3D
is very user friendly, building your dream home with that software can be done at ease. 3D
scanning software’s are very interesting to try out. A 3D scanner is required which is pretty
expensive but still with household scanners like Kinect from X-Box 360 one, one can scan any
object or even your own face and 3D print it. For Kinect using Skanect the objects can be 3D
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scanned and saved into different file formats. Once the 3D model is ready the next software
which is required will be any slicing software’s like Cura. Slicing software’s (Pronterface or
Cura), act as an interface between your 3D printer and your computer.
They convert your 3D designs into a 3D readable format by slicing it layer by layer. The
settings in these software’s will also impact on the final quality of your 3D printed object
5.3 Post Processing
The first job after taking the 3D printed object off the bed is to remove any scaffolding or
support materials. The support material should offer a very little resistance and with gentle
force while able to carefully remove the final object. If there are any little sockets or holes
covered with filament remove those can be removed by using small files.

Fig. No :22 -Removal of support from printed objects

In order to get a smooth texture in the prints making use of sanding paper and rubbing
the print gently with it can smoothen the surface. If the print needs to look way more
customized it can even be painted. It is also possible to finish product to look glossy by going
through the process of acetone wash or similar process.

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6.1. Advantages of 3D Printing

1. Speed
The main perk of 3D printing is primarily the speed at the rate of which the parts are
generally produced in comparison to the traditional manufacturing approaches. The CAD
model allows intricate designs to be uploaded and printed in a handful of hours.
3D printing also allows for rapid verification as well as the development of design
concepts. While earlier it used to take around days to weeks to gain a prototype,
additive manufacturing allows the model to be prepared only in a couple of hours.
Although industrial additive manufacturing machines generally take more time for printing
and post-processing a part, the capacity of producing functional end parts at low to mid
volumes facilitates a massive time-saving perk in relation to traditional manufacturing
approaches.

2. Cost
In case of small production, 3D printing is a highly efficient and useful manufacturing
process. Conventional prototyping approaches such as CNC machining necessitate a high
number of costly machines and have higher labour expenses since they call for well
experienced machine operators and technicians for operating them.
This is in contrast with the 3D printing procedure in which merely a couple of machines and
a lesser number of operators are required (in accordance with the system) for manufacturing a
part. As a result, less waste material is generated as the part is developed from scratch rather
than being carved from solid blocks.

3. Flexibility
Yet another useful perk of 3D printing is that the given printer can develop anything fitting
inside its build volume.
Through traditional manufacturing procedures, every fresh part or alteration in part design
would need a fresh tool, mild or jig for being manufactured to develop a fresh part.
3D printing, as opposed to traditional approaches, permits the inclusion of multiple materials
in a single object, allowing a range of colours, textures, and mechanical characteristics to be
varied and coordinated

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3D printing permits all users, even the ones who have less computer-aided design
experience, to edit designs in the way they prefer, developing unique, personalized fresh
parts. This also implies that each offered design can be developed through an array of
varied materials.

4. Competitive Advantage

Owing to the speed and lower expenses of 3D printing, the life cycles of products are
minimised. Businesses can boost products, in turn enabling them to offer better items
in a lesser time period. 3D printing enables the physical testimony of fresh products to
consumers and investors, as a result, minimizing the risk of the data being mistaken or
lacking amidst communication. It also enables efficient testing of markets, gaining
potential consumer feedback and investors on tangible items, while avoiding the risk of
massive cost for prototyping.

5. Quality
The traditional manufacturing approaches can lead to poor designs and bad quality
prototypes. In case of the involved elements not being blended properly, the end result
can be spoiled, such as in case of subtractive or injection approaches, the quality is not
often assured. 3D Printing allows for step by step assembling of the product or its part,
in turn assuring for the boosting of the design and improved quality parts or items.

6. Consistency
The conventional manufacturing procedures can lead to some of the parts ending up
being inconsistent or damaged in terms of quality as compared to the remaining parts.
In case of 3D printing, the parts are printed in a sequence. Every sequential individual
part can be overseen, permitting the errors to be tracked promptly, minimizing the overall
number of disregarded parts and wasted components while boosting consistent quality
gained from the generated parts.

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7. Reduces Risk
3D printing enables businesses to minimize their manufacturing risks. It enables product designers to
verify product prototypes prior to 3D printing technology and allows product.
designers to verify product prototypes prior to kickstarting on substantial
manufacturing investments which can prove to be disastrous.

8. Accessibility
3D printing systems are far more accessible and can be adopted by a larger number of
people as opposed to conventional manufacturing setups. As opposed to the great
degree of expense involved in managing conventional manufacturing systems, 3D
printing setups involve lesser cost. Being almost entirely automated they also require
minimal personnel for operating, supervising and handling the machine, ensuring that it
remains more accessible in comparison to other manufacturing systems.

9. Sustainability
Through 3D printing, less parts need to be outsourced for manufacturing. This implies
less impact on the environment as lesser number of things are shipped around the globe
and there is less requirement for operating and maintaining an energy-consuming
factory.
3D printing generates quite a few waste materials for a single part and the materials
adopted in 3D printing are usually recyclable.

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7.1 Limitations

1. Lesser strength in comparison to conventional manufacture: Many 3D printed

parts are quite fragile as opposed to the conventional manufacturing approaches, apart
from the ones created from metal which have effective mechanical characteristics. This
is largely owing to the parts being constructed layer-by-layer, which highly minimizes
its strength.
2. Elevated cost at high volume: Generally carrying out large production operations is
more costly through 3D printing owing to less impact from economies of scale. As per
estimates, when a direct comparison is made between similar parts, 3D printing is
deduced to be less cost-effective in comparison with the parts being developed using
conventional manufacturing approaches.
3. Limitations in accuracy: The precision of a printed part relies on the kind of machine
and/or procedure adopted. A few desktop printers have lesser tolerances in comparison
to other printers, implying that the final parts can be different in comparison to the
designs. Although this can be mended through post-processing, it has to be ensured that
3D printed parts might not be precise every time.
4. Post-processing requirements: Most of the 3D printed parts need a certain kind of
post-processing. This can be smoothing for developing a required finish or getting heat
treatment for achieving particular material properties as well as final machining.

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8.1 Project Cost

Sr. No. Component Name Component Cost

1 Mother Board 4500 /-
2 Display 2000 /-
3 SNPS 2000/-
4 Heating Plate 2500 /-
5 Hot end 1800 /-
6 Moters 1200 /-
7 Belt 350 /-
8 Nozzle 270 /-
9 Coupling 100 /-
10 Limit Switch 130 /-
11 Screw and Nut 200 /-
Total Cost 15,050 /-

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9.1 Conclusion

1. A consumer-based product was developed in accordance with the product design and
prototyping process. The product being rapid prototyping machine which is helpful in small
level applications like educational, household, research purposes.
2. The different concepts generated to address the problem statement were found to be fruitful.
For some problems, combinations of the concepts were used.
3. The project work has helped to understand integration of electronic and mechanical system.
4. Product development from concept to testing has resulted in implementing design for
manufacturing and assembly

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10.1References

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1. Shivnath Doke, Rohan Guggali, Aishwarya Adhav, Dr. D.K Shedge, “Portable and easy to
use 3D printer”, International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET),
Volume: 09 Issue: 06, June 2022, pg.269-274.
2. M A Tayyab, Ahmed Adnan Ul Huda, Md Mahboob Khan, “Design and Fabrication of
Portable FDM 3D printer”, International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology
(IRJET), Volume: 07 Issue: 07 | July 2020, pg.4499-4505.
3. Gerald C. Anzalone, Chenlong Zhang, Paul G. Sanders, “A Low-Cost Open-Source Metal
3-D Printer”, IEEE Journal, November 2013.
4. Ref. Project Report, Sachidananda Hota, Dr. D.R.K Parhi, “Study, Design and Fabrication
of A 3d Printer”, N.I.T. Rourkela.

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