Materials, Methods & Technologies, Volume 17, 2023

Abstract: 3D printers are widely used in every industry these days. However, the features required from the products are becoming more and more important. Especially in the field of prototyping, 3D printers have become indispensable in design and manufacturing. One of the most important factors determining the product quality is the surface quality. Also, the most important factor determining the surface quality in production is the robustness of the production machine. Therefore, a 3D printer with a Cartesian system, which is the most widely used mechanical system, was chosen in this study. A production sample in the shape of a cube was preferred and a total of nine different parameters were used at three different printing speeds (40, 60, 80 mm/sec.) and three different filling forms (hilbert curve, octagram spiral, concentric). The standard system vibrations of this printer were recorded with the help of dataloggers that measure 3-axis acceleration during production. Afterwards, mechanical improvements were made in the system in all 3 axes. After these improvements, the same production process was carried out again and the difference in mechanical vibrations in the system was examined. In addition, in order to observe the change in the production quality, the surface roughness values in each production were examined in 3 axes and the changes in the production quality were examined. Mechanical improvements provide quality increase in every axis on the surface quality. However, when compared with the measured vibration values, there is no significant correlation between them. As a result, it can be said that the rigidity feature in 3D printer mechanical system has a great effect on the product properties and quality.