Analysis of melting and flow in the hot-end of a material extrusion 3D printer using X-ray computed tomography

Abstract

This paper presents in-situ X-ray computed tomography (CT) experiments used to study the flow behavior within a conventional hot-end of a fused filament fabrication printer. Three types of experiments were performed to better understand the melt and flow behavior. In one experiment, 360° CT scans were conducted, focusing on the air gap between the filament and the nozzle wall. In a second experiment, the flow profile inside the nozzle was studied using radiography. To provide a good contrast to the surrounding nozzle material, filament was prepared containing small amounts of tungsten powder as a contrast agent. During a third test, the extruder forces were measured and compared with the X-ray results and the predictions of a numerical simulation. The CT scans showed that at higher filament speeds, less area of the nozzle wall is in contact with the melt. This means that a larger part of the barrel section is occupied by an air gap between the solid filament and the nozzle wall. In contrast to the filament speed, the influence of the heater temperature shows no discernible effect on the part of the nozzle filled with melt. Radiographic evaluation of the velocity profile revealed a parabolic distribution under the studied conditions, closely matching numerical simulations modeling the flow as isothermal and non-Newtonian. The study's findings offer potential for improving nozzle design. Furthermore, the presented experimental method can serve as a valuable tool for future validation of more complex numerical simulations.