Structural Design of FDM 3D Printer for Low-melting Alloy

Abstract

Since the metal additive manufacturing technology has some problems, such as high printing cost, low efficiency and high porosity, a method of fused deposition modeling (FDM) and metal additive manufacturing combined was proposed. In this study, a FDM 3D printer suitable for low melting alloy was designed based on the physical characteristics of low-melting alloy. Firstly, a set of overall structure design scheme was proposed. Secondly, the extrusion structure of key parts of FDM printer was designed. Then, the virtual assembly of the designed parts was carried out and the prototype was made. Finally, the frame was analyzed by finite element simulation method. The results show that the frame meets the needs of strength and stiffness.