Selecting low-cost 3D printers using the AHP method: a case study

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present a selection method based on analytic hierarchy process in the form of a case study, which benefits from quantitative data to assess the performance of low-cost 3D printers. The market of personal 3D printers has experienced a major boost in the last decade, with an apparently ever-increasing number of companies producing and selling machines. The huge variety of models available under $5000 has turned the selection of 3D printers into a complex task, often involving multiple questions. Many benchmarking parts have been proposed as a mean of comparing the performance of these machines in relation to geometric, mechanical and process aspects, with no consensus about the optimal model for every situation. Also, several decision-making methods mostly based on qualitative evaluation have been applied in order to rationalize the selection of such equipment. The evaluation metrics considered in the procedure were derived from a general goal, organized in a hierarchical structure and then compared according to the context of the research. A real application model, from an innovative project, was fabricated by three different machines and then evaluated regarding multiple criteria with distinct importance. The evaluation included surface roughness, dimensional and geometric accuracy, building time and material usage measurements. The case study shows a less subjective way to evaluate the performance of such machines, which can be easily implemented by the academic and 3D printing communities, considering different scenarios and even diverse technologies.