Scientists from Volgograd State Technical University (Volgograd State Technical University) have developed an automatic control and filament feeding system (plastic thread) for 3D printing, which has reduced the number of defects in production by up to 15%, according to Sergey Shemelyunas, a lecturer at the university.
The technology is suitable for FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printers.
According to the experimental results, the system allows compensating up to 10-15% of the material feed error caused by diameter instability and reducing deviations in product geometry up to 1%.
As a result, the defect rate of products decreased to approximately 15%, the lecturer added.
The system is based on a non-contact optical sensor and computer vision algorithms that measure the diameter, speed, and quality of the filament in real time. If necessary, the system adjusts the material feed.
Shemelyunas reminded that FDM 3D printing is used in mechanical engineering, aviation, medicine, and education. Printers of this type are used in the manufacture of parts, housings, tooling, and prototypes. Printing accuracy is especially important for creating components from composite materials, he concluded.