Analysis of thermal operating conditions of 3D printers with printing chamber

Abstract

The article attempts to determine the best working conditions for desktop 3D printers with printing chamber. For the analysis, the polymer materials acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) and polylactide (PLA) as two most commonly used copolymers in 3D printing. The work presents the types of filaments and compares them in terms of shrinkage, which is a disadvantageous phenomenon and occurs especially in prints made of materials for which higher temperatures of the table and the print head are set. A 3D printer placed in a chamber made of acrylic glass was used to carry out research on improving the quality of prints. The chamber is equipped with electronic probes that allow to record the temperature within the head, the working table and the chamber volume. To monitor the printer's operation, a CCD camera was used with a view of the workstation in real-time mode with the possibility of video recording. The analysis of the results of the conducted research allowed for the assessment of the parameters that should be taken into account, and which correct selection eliminates failures during the printing process and guarantees better quality of the final print.