Acta Mechanica Slovaca 2021, 25(3):16-19 | DOI: 10.21496/ams.2021.035

The Influence of Gravity on 3D Printing with the FFF/FDM Technique - Reverse FDM/FFF 3D Printing

Robert E. Przekop^{1, *}, Daria Pakuła², Miłosz Frydrych², Marek Jałbrzykowski^{1, 3}

¹ Centre for Advanced Technologies, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, 61-614 Poznan, Poland

² Faculty of Chemistry, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, 61-614 Poznan, Poland

³ Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Bialystok University of Technology, Wiejska 45 C, 15-351 Bialystok, Poland

Often, simple questions do not have obvious answers and require an experiment that yields an unexpected answer. Have you ever wondered what will happen if you turn 180 degrees to the commonly accepted FDM printing convention? The paper presents the verification of the possibility of using the reverse orientation of the print head in traditionally used 3D printers of FFF/FDM systems. It has been shown that the mechanical parameters of the printed object can be even higher when reverse printing is used. The presented concept opens up new possibilities of designing printers in FFF/FDM systems, which use changed heat convection and the reverse effect of gravity on the printed object. This work was carried out using the TRIZ methodology.

Keywords: 3D printing, gravity, microgravity, gravitation influence, nozzle orientation, printing direct orientation, FDM, FFF, TRIZ.

Received: May 21, 2021; Revised: July 15, 2021; Accepted: July 18, 2021; Published: September 29, 2021  Show citation