Assessment of surface quality on textured FDM prototypes
- 1 January 2006
- journal article
- Published by Emerald in Rapid Prototyping Journal
- Vol. 12 (1), 35-41
- https://doi.org/10.1108/13552540610637255
Abstract
Purpose – Test the detail resolution of fused deposition modeling (FDM) in the direct manufacture of rapid prototypes with textured surfaces. Design/methodology/approach – A benchmark part carrying regular surface patterns with different feature sizes and aspect ratios has been manufactured on a FDM system with different build orientations. Layered parts have been inspected to detect the occurrence of quality defects on textured surfaces. Findings – The experiments reveal the ability of currently available FDM systems to enhance prototype surfaces with form details on a millimeter scale. Results assist in identifying conditions which need to be satisfied in order to successfully reproduce generic texture geometries. Research limitations/implications – Although the testing method can be applied to any layered manufacturing technique, results are limited to a specific process, and may be influenced by technical improvements of commercial fabrication systems. Practical implications – A first contribution is given to a full feasibility assessment of direct texturing, which potentially appears as more responsive and cost-effective solution than current post-finishing practices. Originality/value – The paper proposes a systematic approach to the manufacture of textured parts by rapid prototyping techniques. The analysis of surface appearance in the presence of small-scale form details adds a novel aspect to current approaches to performance benchmarking, which typically focus on form errors and roughness of plain surfaces.Keywords
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Benchmarking for comparative evaluation of RP systems and processesRapid Prototyping Journal, 2004
- A survey of 3D texturingComputers & Graphics, 2001
- Surface macro‐texture design for rapid prototypingRapid Prototyping Journal, 2000
- “Structured”, “Textured” or “Engineered” SurfacesCIRP Annals, 1999
- Benchmarking of Rapid Prototyping Techniques in Terms of Dimensional Accuracy and Surface FinishCIRP Annals, 1995
- Displacement mapping using flow fieldsPublished by Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) ,1994
- Linear and Geometric Accuracies from Layer ManufacturingCIRP Annals, 1994
- Defining and rendering of textured objects through the use of exponential functionsCVGIP: Graphical Models and Image Processing, 1992
- Texture description and segmentation through fractal geometryComputer Vision, Graphics, and Image Processing, 1989
- Shade treesACM SIGGRAPH Computer Graphics, 1984